


Freedom

by QueenEvaine



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Original Characters won't be a major part of this at least to start, ill add more characters as they appear
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-03-03 07:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 22,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13336464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenEvaine/pseuds/QueenEvaine
Summary: The survivors finally escape the Entity’s realm, and now have their lives to piece back together.





	1. Prologue

Time always has been and always will be a fickle thing. It either breaks down the strongest of mountains, or hardens the most unassuming of stones into diamond. It took two years for the Entity to realize this batch of survivors was if the latter, even as new ones joined later. It watched them grow accustomed to its rules, and how they taught each other tips to survive. It watched as they persisted, trial after trial, death after death, despite everything. 

Even as the trials grew harsher, more unfair, or downright impossible for the survivors, they persisted. It tried tearing them apart, but each time they became closer, promising they would do better and clinging to the hope it would be true. 

The Entity was desperate. It couldn't keep these survivors, they would ruin every new one that they encountered. It had to get rid of them. And so it did. 

Without care or mercy, it spit them right back where it had taken them, with no regard to their lives. It had ripped survivors from different realms entirely, instead putting them in a random place along with the others. It could not risk them learning how to destroy it from within. 

It had to protect itself, and that meant letting some escape, with no regard to their lives or where they would be now. It's own survival was all that mattered.


	2. Dwight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwight's return to the real world.

Dwight Fairfield was already a nervous person before being taken into the Entity’s realm. He performed better than others under the stress of it all, and was able to lead them effectively. Experience in life or death struggles made him more nervous at every sound that was just a little too out of place. He started always looking over his shoulder, should he find a quiet Shape watching him. 

When he woke up alone, he looked around in a panic. The others never left him like this; especially not after learning what events pulled him into the nightmarish game. He kept quiet, knowing better than to scream out in an unfamiliar woods despite the burned out fire. He adjusted his glasses on his face, heart sinking to his stomach when a realization hit him. 

He _did_ know this place; two years ago on that night his life changed forever. _No, this doesn't make sense!_ He rested his hands on his temples, shaking his head clear. _This can't be right!_ He slowly stood, the spots where the tents and cooler had been entirely clear. _This has to be some trick._ He looked up to the night sky, struck still by the bright, shining stars in the sky. 

The Entity didn't waste it's time on stars. It was always a black, foreboding fog. The sight of them now was a shock. _But how? And why?_ He sat still, just staring at the sky. _The others! Where even were they? And how am I ever going to find them?_ He habitually brought his hand up to chew on his nails. They were his only friends now, and he didn't want to lose them for the rest of his life.

And he still had to figure out _why_ he was suddenly here, and not at the campfire. Did the Entity just decide it was bored? He didn’t understand at all. _What if it was just me that got out?_ He looked around the treeline at the thought of it. _What if they think I left them?_ He swallowed, holding his arms to his chest and unsure whether or not the area around him was a fabrication. 

The sounds of the forest seemed so much more real than he was used to, and Dwight was attentive to every single one. Every cricket, every breeze of wind, he heard them all, with a deep seated fear that just one wouldn't fit. He had to be free, _right?_ He couldn't tell for sure, and he was terrified that wandering around would tear his bliss apart. He lay back against the exposed dirt, closing his eyes and resting his glasses on his chest. _Wait until the morning._

 

He woke with a start, hearing the distant sound of a dog’s bark. He was still at the clearing, right where he had gone to sleep. The sun hadn't risen yet, but Dwight could see the colors in the sky just above the horizon. He stared at it with awe, putting his glasses on slowly. _This is all real_. He heard a dog bark again, and slowly he stood, already thinking on how to explain everything to the people undoubtedly heading out here to camp. 

He looked down at his clothes and cursed. They were still covered in his own blood, but you couldn't exactly be reassuring with that knowledge. _Oh, don't worry, this is all my blood!_ Dwight could already imagine how that would go. He groaned; there wasn't enough time to make himself look at least _civilized._ He saw the dog before the owners, unleashed but definitely a Collie with a bright white collar. When it saw him, it paused, barking loudly at him. 

“Hey, Coach! What're you barking at?”

The dog, Coach, kept barking at Dwight. The owner ran to catch up, stopping when he made eye contact with Dwight. Dwight bit his lip. _This looks terrible. An anxious mess covered in blood._ Words failed him; he couldn't think of what to say. The stranger pat Coach's side. 

“Hey man, you okay?” 

Dwight nodded, noticing now the Collie calmed down considerably. 

“Yeah, yeah I'm okay. Just, kinda lost.” 

_It was the truth, just not.. All of it._ This random guy didn’t need to know anything else. The stranger seemed genuinely concerned, but that was probably because of the sheer amount of dried blood on his clothes. 

“Anyone you can call? You could borrow my phone.” 

Dwight stiffened. _Did he have anyone?_ He slowly shook his head. 

“Besides 9-1-1, I don’t have anybody to call.” 

The stranger’s expression softened, pulling out his phone with a nod. 

“Sure, just sit tight, alright?” 

With a nod, Dwight sat by the burned out fire. Coach took a few steps forward, cautiously sniffing Dwight. He held his hand out to it as the owner spoke calmly on the phone. The Collie was more than happy to let Dwight pet it when the owner turned back to him. 

“Hey, sorry, what’s your name?” 

_Right._ He took a deep breath before answering. 

“Dwight. Dwight Fairfield.” 

The man repeated it over the phone, and Dwight went back to petting Coach. He was a surprisingly soft dog for being the size of a small child. _Maybe I should get a dog._

“Alright, paramedics should be here in about ten minutes.” 

Dwight nodded, realizing his hand was still on Coach’s head. 

“Sorry, I should’ve asked to pet your dog.” 

The man shook his head, patting Coach’s back roughly. 

“Nah, you’re good man. Coach acts all tough, but he’s a big softie. Isn’t that right, bud?” 

Coach barked happily, tail wagging as he tried to stand on his hind legs and lick his owner’s face. 

“Name’s Jack, by the way.” 

“Dwight. But uh, I already told you that.” 

Dwight stood to shake Jack’s hand, wrapping his arms around his stomach when Jack released his hand. 

“Where ya from anyway? I come out here quite a bit.”

Dwight paused. _I don’t still have my apartment, do I?_

“Uh, I’m from around here, actually. It’s a.. Long story.” 

_Please don’t ask. Please, for the love of God, don’t ask._ Jack nodded a couple times, looking around the treeline. 

“Well, I won’t pry. Moved here last year from Montana, and honestly thought I’d gotten to know everyone that lived here by now.” 

Dwight just shrugged. _Damn it, Dwight, always the social failure._ The early morning was so quiet, they could hear the sirens from the campsite. 

“Well, paramedics should be here soon. You seem like a good guy, so don’t hesitate to stop by sometime to chat, yeah?” 

Jack pulled out a scrap of paper from his pocket, scribbling his name, address, and phone number on it and handing it over. _Jackson Ferros._ Dwight stuffed the paper into his pocket, his attention turning to the two people in uniforms that jogged towards them. He turned to watch Jack walk further into the woods with Coach, taking a deep breath to quell the fear in him. He turned to the paramedics, letting them guide him along the trail. 

“We’re just gonna drive you to the hospital and check you over, okay?” 

He nodded to the woman, a shorter, stockier woman with a sweet voice and bright green eyes. She clearly spent plenty of time in the sun, and she almost reminded him of Claudette. 

“Yeah, that’s okay.” 

“And you said your name was?” 

“Dwight Fairfield.” 

“Okay Dwight, are you hurt at all? What is the last thing you remember?” 

Dwight rubbed his neck. _How can I even explain what the Entity is?_

“N-No, I’m not hurt at all. At least, I don’t feel it. A-and I last remember falling asleep by a campfire. I was.. It’s.. complicated and.. Hard to talk about.” 

He sighed. He sounded absolutely _insane._ This time, the other paramedic spoke up, just as he started to see the flashing lights of the ambulance. 

“You’ve been missing for two years, Dwight. If you want to, you could talk to a therapist on staff about it.” 

He simply nodded. _Are they even going to believe me?_ He sighed, stepping into the back of the ambulance. He looked around, all too familiar with some of the tools there. _How often did I have to patch myself up with some crude recreation?_ He blinked back to reality when he heard his name. 

“Dwight? You might want to sit down.” 

He mumbled an apology, sitting on the cushioned bench in the back. The paramedics sat on the either side of him, the first one calling to the driver. 

“Good to go!” 

Dwight sat in the back of the ambulance, staring ahead as he thought about everything. He probably didn’t have _anything left,_ and the thought was daunting. He thought back to the paper in his pocket. _I barely know him._ He bit his lip, looking down to the floor of the ambulance. The thought of living his life as normal wasn’t one he had often, but he had to start somewhere. He could be honest, about _everything._ The way his co-workers left him, how he tried to get out himself, and the two years of hell in the Entity’s realm. 

_Would it all even help?_ He pressed his hand to his chest, looking up to the ceiling as he felt the soft, rhythmic beating of his heart. _His_ heart, not some indication of danger growing closer and closer. He unbuttoned his shirt to check if there were any scars, anything to prove he had been impaled _God knows how many times_ through his chest. Yet there was absolutely nothing, no change in skin color, no tenderness to the touch. The only thing Dwight had was the memory of the searing pain. 

“Dwight? Are you okay?” 

The first paramedic spoke, and he could see the genuine concern in her eyes. He _really_ missed Claudette now. He nodded, resting his arms in his lap. 

“Yeah, just.. Thinking.” 

He sighed. She gave a small smile. 

“That’s okay, you’ll have plenty of time to rest and talk everything out at the hospital. If it’s alright with you, I just wanted to check for any injuries.” 

He loosened his tie and lifted his shirt over his head, looking over the stained fabric. It was an unsettling thought to be so used to it, that it didn't even faze him. He kept his gaze on the metal floor as she inspected him for injuries, shirt bundling up in his arms. She sat back, tilting her head slightly. 

“The blood on your shirt, is that someone else’s?” 

Dwight shook his head. 

“No, it’s.. Mine, but.. It’s complicated. There were others too.” 

She nodded, holding her hands together. 

“You can explain everything when we get to the hospital.” 

He simply nodded, putting his shirt back on and closed his eyes, thinking about how to explain everything that happened to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the first chapter up! They'll be from different characters' POVs as they work on meeting up with one another.


	3. Meg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meg comes home, finally.

Meg Thomas had always been a runner since her coach saw the potential and helped her redirect misspent energy onto the track. In the Entity’s domain, she focused less on winning and more on survival; it didn’t matter if she was last so long as she was still alive. Even in downtime, she kept herself running, a habit she had no intention of breaking. The cool air of the Entity’s neverending forests were a refreshing break from the stress of running from a murderer. 

While the others rested, Meg had gotten up for a light jog. She typically ran in a straight line, as best as she could tell, knowing full well she’d always return to the fire. That had become a well-known fact in her life, encountering it on a near daily basis. She didn’t even blink when she saw the flicker of lights in the distance, breaking through the treeline and slowing down. 

She stopped, staring wide-eyed at the lights. _Street-lights._ She looked around, trying to spot anything that she had grown accustomed to in the trials. No generators, no pallets of wood conveniently propped up, no mazes of random building. She didn’t remember doing anything out of the norm, that usually made the Entity less than happy with her. She cautiously crept forward towards the light, touching her hand against it. 

It was cold to the touch, made of metal and standing firm in the ground. She looking around again before continuing her run forward along the faint trail. She couldn’t escape the strange feeling that she had been here before, but the lights weren’t something she recognized. She kept jogging, waiting for the trees to close in around her and lead her back to the campfire. 

Except it didn’t. The trees thinned and eventually completely stopped. _Something’s not right._ She felt her heart beating in her chest, and it made her look around the clearing cautiously. _No one’s around me, what gives?_ She put her hand on her chest, feeling the beating slowly calm itself. She had grown used to her heart only pounding when a Killer was on her heels, instead of when she ran. 

Everything made sense all at once. _Finally outran the Entity, after all this time._ Even if it made no sense to her, she wasn’t about to forsake it now. She looked back at the trail she had followed, suddenly thinking of the others. _They can handle themselves, but.. Are they still there?_ Would she even be able to go back and check? _Do I even want to? Freedom’s always been the goal, hasn’t it?_ What would she say to the others if she willingly went back? 

She shook her head, her right hand going to her forehead. She turned around and ran towards the lights of the nearby city. _I can go back after I check on Mom. I have to make sure she’s okay._ Meg ran as fast as she could, urgency driving her forward as her thoughts raced. _Did she get better? What did she do without me?_ She was starting to feel genuinely afraid, more than any murderer could instill in her. _I can’t lose her._

Even with the time passed, Meg still knew the way to her home. The small, plain house she always ran to whenever she had been released from school. _Hasn’t even changed much._ She ran to the windowsill, lifting the small potted flowering sitting there and took the key that was underneath. She quickly unlocked the door and put the key back in its place, muttering thanks that the lock hadn’t been changed. She then quietly closed the door behind her, looking around the house. All the lights were off, and the clock on the end-table read 1:48 AM. _I have some time to clean up, at least._ She sighed in relief, but tensed when she heard footsteps. 

The person walking down the steps _was not_ her mother, instead a young woman dressed in dark blue. The woman was confused, and most definitely afraid. Meg narrowed her eyes.

“Who are you and why are you in my mother’s house?” 

The woman blinked, mouth agape as she tried to form words. Meg crossed her arms, ready to bolt past her up the stairs if need be. 

“I-I’m Mrs. Thomas’ nurse.. I’m sorry, I had no idea that she had another daughter..” 

_Her nurse? Another daughter?_ Meg took several steps closer. 

“Is she okay? How has she been doing? She’s not hurting for money, is she? ..Does she talk about me?” 

The nurse stammered, and Meg felt a little guilty for putting her on the spot. But, she had to know. 

“She’s been alright, not really getting any better, but not getting worse either. I-I don’t know her financial status, I’m sorry. U-uhm.. She talks about her daughter quite a bit. All good things, and how she misses her.” 

Meg couldn’t help but smile. _Thank God she’s not upset._

“That’s good to hear. When she wakes up, could you tell her.. Tell her that Meg wants to talk to her.” 

The nurse blinked in shock. _What did I say that was so shocking?_

“Meg Thomas? I-I.. was told she was dead. That, you were dead, I guess.” 

Now it was Meg’s turn to be shocked. _Dead?_ It only made sense, being gone for so long with no trace left behind. Time was a vastly different thing in the Entity’s realm. She shook her head. 

“How long has it been? Since, y’know, I was announced dead.” 

It felt strange to say that now, since life and death was a usual concept in trials. Death happened; it wasn’t something one evaded forever. It should have regained its permanence, but it still felt like an everyday thing. 

“T-Two years.” 

The nurse looked like she had seen a ghost, petrified and pale. _Probably thinks I’m a ghost or something._ Meg looked around the house, letting out a sigh. 

“Okay, well, long story short, I’m not actually dead, so you’re not seeing a ghost right now. I’ve just had a very long trip to somewhere I didn’t wanna be.” 

_That was a way of explaining it, right? Besides, I’m fine._ The nurse only seemed more confused. 

“I know it’s not even the ass-crack of dawn, and this all seems a little weird, but I swear I’m telling the truth.” 

The nurse seemed to calm down, even if they were still very confused. Meg just sighed. 

“Look, I can prove I’m her daughter, too. Whatever blood tests needed.” 

The nurse shook her head, waving her hands back and forth. 

“No no, I believe you! You do look a lot like her, just.. You’re supposed to be dead, so.. It’s kind of a shock.” 

_Can’t argue with that._ She nodded, pointing upstairs. 

“No, I totally get it. Kinda weird, to see someone who is definitely supposed to dead. If you don’t mind, I’m gonna get cleaned up and everything, didn’t mean to interrupt whatever it was you were doing.” 

The nurse simply nodded, holding her hands together awkwardly. 

“I-if there’s anything I can help with, just call for Lizzy.” 

Meg couldn’t help but smile. _She’s so nervous. I don’t think I look that intimidating._ She shrugged, quietly heading upstairs and undoing her braids. She still knew the house well, and made her way to her bedroom. Everything was left exactly as she remembered, even with a layer of dust over all her things. _Has anyone even been in here?_

She couldn’t help but sigh. It was so tempting to stay, and continue her life where she had left it. But, there were still the others that she had to get back to. _If they’re even still there._ The thought made her pause. What if they weren’t there either, and she willingly went back to a lifetime of hell? She ran her hands along the dresser, leaving behind clear streaks along it’s surface. She was _finally home_ ; would the others blame her if she didn’t want to leave it? 

Part of her felt extremely guilty for it. The others had become good friends of hers, and she cherished them, but her mother needed her too. _The others can take care of themselves._ She took a deep breath, grabbing a change of clothes from the drawers and moving to the bathroom. Her clothes were faintly bloody, pink outfit stained a reddish color. She piled her clothes in the sink, not wanting to stain the floor. 

She quietly turned the faucets on, letting the water run over her hand as she felt it’s temperature. When the water was warm, she stepped into the shower, letting the heat relax her muscles. _God, I missed a nice shower._ She let the water run over her, her mind wandering as she thought about the others. _Were they okay? Where even were they now? I’ll have to find someplace to work, too, if I want to keep taking care of Mom._ She took a deep breath, washing herself off and slowly turning off the faucets when she was fully clean. 

She grabbed the nearest towel and dried herself off, wrapping it around herself and stepping out of the shower. It was surreal, to see herself in the steamed reflection of the mirror. She wiped some of it away, looking over her face. She slowly lowered the towel, just enough to see the spot where a hook has gone through her chest countless times. _Just like nothing ever happened._ She shook her head, grabbing the towel to wrap her hair in it. She changed into the other set of clothes, taking a deep breath. 

She felt refreshed, the reality starting to now sink in that she was home. She froze when she heard wood creaking. She turned the lights off to the bathroom as she stepped out, looking around and speaking softly. 

“Lizzy? Was that you?” 

“..Meg? Is that you, sweetheart?” 

Meg turned to the doorway to her mother’s bedroom, her mother wrapped in a blanket and squinting into the darkness. Meg couldn’t help running forward to hug her mother close. 

“Mom! You should be resting.” 

Without hesitation, Meg led her mother back into her bedroom, eyes far too focused in the darkness. 

“And ignore the fact that my daughter is alive and well? Not a chance.” 

Meg couldn’t help but smile. _I knew I got my stubbornness somewhere._ Meg sat on the side of the bed, resting her hand on her mother’s. 

“I’m sorry for worrying you, Mom. Are you okay? I can go right back to working if you need me to.” 

Her mother lay back against the pillow. 

“A little illness isn’t going to be able to get me that easily, Meg. I’m just glad to know you’re okay. I was told nothing was found, and I.. feared the worst.” 

Meg scooted closer, sitting quietly in the darkness. She felt her mother’s hand on the side of her face, and all at once it was like the floodgates had opened. 

“Mom, I.. I missed you so much.” 

Tears streamed down her face. Her mother guided her closer, arms wrapping around her in a reassuring hug. 

“Shhh, I’m here. I missed you too.” 

Meg wrapped her arms tightly around her mother, letting tears fall. She quickly composed herself again, sitting up straight and wiping her eyes. She looked at the clock. _2:24._ She slowly stretched and stood up. 

“Get some sleep, okay Mom? I can explain a lot better in the morning.” 

Part of her didn’t want to leave the room, as if she’d find herself back at the campfire and this all was an elaborate dream. Her mom nodded, and she quietly closed the bedroom door as she walked out. Meg walked back to her room, looking around it carefully. She spotted the familiar phone case on the end-table, plugged into the charger. She reached for her phone eagerly, holding her thumb on the power button. The screen lit up, and all at once she saw dozens of notifications, mostly asking where she was from two years ago. 

She sat on her bed, staring at them all. She simply put the screen to sleep, laying back on her bed and staring at the ceiling. The Entity would be a lot to explain, but her mother deserved the truth of it all. For now, she climbed under the covers and closed her eyes, grateful for the soft mattress and blankets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the love and support of this story! I'm hella excited to write more, and you can bet there will be silly intermission chapters as the DbD survivors reunite. And the new survivor for the upcoming chapter will be incorporated in this, just need more info on them!


	4. Claudette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claudette returns home.

Claudette had grown used to the plants that grew in the Entity’s realms, often using them to patch up the others or herself when they were inevitably injured. It became natural for her to identify the flowers that grew, and which ones the Entity took as offerings. She missed the beautiful array of flowers she took care of back home, and all the comforts of being in her room with light pouring in. 

She often thought about home, if people missed her as she missed them. The other survivors had become close friends to her, she cared about them immensely, but it wasn’t the same as being home with her parents. She took the best care she could of the others around her, hoping one day that they would find a way out and return to their lives. 

She hadn’t really thought about how she would find the others if they did escape, or even if they all escaped together. When she woke up and found herself distinctly not at the campfire, she jolted upright and looked around. She got to her feet and looked around at the flora; she was usually able to tell where she was by that if she couldn’t by looking around. 

The tulips were what she recognized first. The Entity had never had those around; they didn’t serve any real purpose besides looking pretty. The flowers were all along a trail, and Claudette followed it by the light of the moon and stars overhead. She had to make sure the others were okay. Something just wasn’t right; she hadn’t seen stars in well over a year. She ran down the trail, stopping when a realization hit her. 

_I know this place._ The trail she traveled down before finding herself in the Entity’s realm. The treeline was far more sparse, and she saw the bright lights of the city in the distance. She stared in wonder, taking a deep breath and running back the way she came. She really wanted nothing more than to be able to go home, that was what they all had fought for, but leaving the others without being sure they were free, too.. Claudette couldn’t go on with that knowledge. 

She kept running even as her legs screamed and she was entirely exhausted. There was never that familiar fog that always closed in around them, no sense of foreboding that she got whenever she was in a trial. She stopped to catch her breath, still on the same trail as before. She knew better than to keep going now, but she so desperately wanted to keep trying. She turned to sprint back again, concerned with getting home and trying to find if her friends were okay. 

By the time she had made it back to the edge of the woods outskirting the city, she was exhausted and the sun was rising in the sky. She let herself slow to a walk, at least for the moment as she caught her breath. She still knew the way to her parent’s home, putting her hands in her pockets as she walked. She looked down, realizing she was still covered in blood. She took a deep breath, dipping into the woods to flip her clothes inside out. 

It was uncomfortable, but it would work until she was able to get them clean. She kept walking along the trail, until it abruptly stopped and led to the sidewalk. She wiped her face of blood, breaking into a jog to get home. She still knew the home, especially with how her parents maintained the garden in front of it. Claudette took a deep breath, walking up to the door and knocking several times. She could hear her parents talking back and forth, about who should get the door and who would be knocking at this time in the morning. She held her hands in front of her, preparing herself for the conversation. 

The door swung open, and Claudette saw her mother standing there in slowly growing shock. 

“Honey, who is-”

Her father was walking to the door from the kitchen, nearly dropping his plate and mug when he saw who was in the doorway. 

“Mom, Dad, I-”

She couldn’t finish her sentence as she was pulled inside and the door was closed behind her, both her mother and father wrapping her in a tight hug. 

“Oh Claudette, we were so worried about you! Thank God you’re okay.” 

“I’m so sorry I worried you both.”

“Oh Claudette, baby, don’t apologize. We’re both just incredibly thankful that you’re alive. You must be so tired.” 

Her mother released the hug first, turning to the kitchen. 

“I’ll make you something, you can go and get cleaned up.” 

Claudette nodded with a smile, her father watching her walk upstairs. She immediately walked to her room, everything kept as is. Even the plants in her window were still there and well-kept, and she noticed how much they had grown. She went through her drawers, finding a change of comfortable pajamas to change into. Then she walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her and showering all the soaked blood off her. She noticed how she had no scars, no traces of all the times she had to patch herself up. 

The water was extremely refreshing, and she stepped out of the shower once all the blood was washed out of her skin and her muscles were relaxed. She changed into the pajamas, a dark green patterned with pink flowers, and then took her bloody clothes and let them soak in the sink. 

She quietly stepped down the stairs, the smell of pancakes filling the air. She couldn’t help but smile, especially as her father beckoned her to sit down. 

“I missed you both so much.” 

She sat down, feeling tears form in her eyes. Her mother walked into the room, setting the plate and glass of orange juice down in front of her. Both Claudette’s mother and father grabbed her hands reassuringly. 

“We did too, baby. There’s a lot we wanted to know, and still do, but only if you feel up to talking to us about it. You know we’ll support you no matter what you want to do.” 

She nodded, wiping her eyes before grabbing the silverware on the table. She would have plenty of time to look into finding the others; the calendar told her she wouldn't be able to start a new semester for several months. She started cutting the pancakes apart, taking a deep breath. 

“There is something I want to do, before I got back to college. But, it's a really long story, so you might want to sit down and prepare for the unbelievable.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the small delay on getting this chapter up, I was a little stuck and wanted to get some requests done! Jake's chapter will hopefully be done much sooner.


	5. Jake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake heads home and gets into contact with the one person he knows would still care.

Jake was never a deep sleeper, especially after he had moved from his family’s home to live in the forest by himself. The Entity’s realm wasn’t a big change for him; it added murderers and a constant cycle of life and death, but the environment never unnerved him. He was already used to keeping a careful eye out in case local fauna tried to make a meal out of him. Jake had a natural awareness that served him well. 

He noticed immediately when he woke up that something was off. The area around him didn’t feel the same as at the campfire, or like in a trial. He stood up, looking around the woods. The sights and sounds were all very real, and there was no fog around him. He listened to the crickets around him, very quickly recognizing the woods around his home. Even after months and thousands of trials, Jake knew his home and how to get there. 

The door was locked, the extra set of keys inside. He wedged the window open, crawling inside and looking around the cabin. Everything had collected a layer of dust, but was entirely untouched. He even spotted the phone still sitting on the table. It was completely dead, but grabbing it and plugging it in revealed the screen to light up and show the empty battery while it charged. 

The clock read just barely past midnight. He moved to close the window, letting out a quiet breath. Everything felt normal, but he knew somethings that he couldn't trust that. The Entity was a devious thing. When his phone gained enough battery to properly turn on, Jake unlocked it and called the first number he knew. 

He knew it was late for his mother, but she was the only family he really could bear to talk to. He heard her pick up, letting out a sigh. 

“Who is this and what is so important that you call in the middle of the night?” 

“Mom, I-”

“JAKE? JAKE PARK, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I’VE BEEN WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU? ARE YOU HURT? DON’T YOU DARE GO ANYWHERE, I’LL BE RIGHT THERE!” 

_Click_. Jake winced, slowly lowering the phone. 

“..Ow.” 

He blinked several times, letting his phone charge. He was sure now this wasn’t any trick of the Entity’s. He took the time to get himself cleaned up, changing his clothes and cleaning the blood from his jacket and pants. He washed his face staring at himself in the mirror. It was strange to see himself without any facial hair, even after so long. _Side effect of dying, I guess_. He lifted his shirt just enough to see his chest, not surprised to see no marks whatsoever. He let it fall, deciding to lay down for awhile. 

He dozed off laying on his bed, jolting awake when he heard a whirring hum. The clock read 2:34, making him get out of bed and start walking to the door as someone started banging on it. He opened the door and saw his mother standing there, with several people clad in suits and coats behind him. It didn’t take her long to grab his arm and drag him to the nearest chair and push him to sit. 

“Jake Park, where have you been?! Do you realize how worried I was? Did someone hurt you? All you need to do is tell me and I’ll take care of it.” 

“Mom, I’m fine.” 

She crossed her arms, waving one of the men inside. 

“I’ll let the doctor here decide that. You have been gone for two years and I am making sure my baby is okay.” 

He sat still as the doctor checked him over with a plethora of tools. He sighed in relief when the doctor finally put his tools away. 

“Everything checks out, Mrs. Park. Your son is as healthy as could be from what I can tell.” 

She nodded to the doctor, who promptly stepped outside. Looking out the window, Jake could see the edges of a helicopter blade. _Explains the noise._ He turned his attention to the other man when he started speaking. 

“I'm a private investigator, Mr. Park. I'll be helping you to identify and bring the people responsible for your disappearance to justice.” 

_Good God, Mom._

“Really, I’m fine. No one kidnapped me. Technically. It’s a weird story.” 

Jake watched his mother stare intently at him before waving to the investigator. 

“Alright, but I will be keeping in contact with both Dr. Hartman and Detective Caruso here.” 

Detective Caruso nodded, walking out the door to the helicopter. Jake let out a sigh. 

“Mom, I-” 

“Jake Park, you have two seconds to start explaining what happened.” 

“Mom, please calm down. The best way to explain it is that I was in some.. Thing’s, realm. We had to fix generators to power gates to escape, or die. But, even if we died, we were always back at the same place, a campfire in the middle of the woods.” 

His mom’s eyes widened as he explain, keeping herself quiet to allow him to speak. 

“There were different Killers, each with their own abilities. Different places, too, and I wasn’t stuck there alone. We figured eventually, we’d find our way out.” 

He let out a sigh, and his mother knew that was his sign of being done. She stepped forward to hug him close. 

“Oh Jake, I’m so glad you’re out of that hell. And you said there were others? Are you good friends with them? Anyone catch your eye?” 

_Damn it, Mom._

“They’re.. Friends. There were about ten others there that I got to know well.” 

She nodded, sitting on the nearest free chair. 

“And you’re sure you’re okay?” 

“Yes, Mom, I’m okay. ..I’m more worried about the others.” 

Without hesitation, she pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. 

“Write down all their names, and I’ll see what I can do about finding them.” 

“Mom, you don’t-”

“Nonsense, Jake. They’re your friends, and important to you, so they’re important to me.” 

She handed the pad and pen over, staring expectantly at Jake. He sighed, writing down everyone’s names and sliding the pad over. When Jake stood up, his mom did too, pulling him into another hug. 

“And please don’t think I don’t care, Jake. I know.. Things with your father aren’t great, but I really do care with all my heart.” 

He heard her sniffle, and Jake couldn’t help the smile or the tears quietly falling down his face. He tried to be reassuring, arms wrapped around her shoulders. When she stood back, he took a deep breath. 

“Alright, I’m going to let you get some rest. But please, call me if you need anything at all.” 

He nodded, watching her walk towards the door. 

“And, Mom?” 

She stopped in the doorway. 

“...I really missed you. And, I’ve never doubted that you love me.” 

He watched her wipe her eyes, smiling widely. 

“I always will, Jake. You’re my son, no matter what.” 

She then quietly walked out and closed the door, leaving Jake in the middle of the living room of his cabin. He locked the door behind her, moving to his bed to fall into the mattress. There were too many what ifs, too many possibilities to think about right now. It was a consolation that he wasn’t alone. He closed his eyes, letting himself doze off and rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the hella delay; this sorta slipped my mind for a bit!


	6. Escape Artists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two masters of avoiding being caught end up catching each other outside of the Entity's reaches.

Nea was good at keeping herself hidden, sneaking out of danger long before it ever got close to her. In the trials, it was no different. She hid from the danger trying to put her on hooks and sacrifice her to some cruel being. The only difference she could find was that she actually cared about the people around her; and did what she could to help and save them. She always tried her best to show them the best way to being resourceful with what they had, to use every last bit of the tools they were given. 

Nea snuck into the woods with the intention of getting on the Entity’s nerves again. Each time she ventured further and further out, marking every visible tree with ‘Mashtyx’. She kept walking in the dead of night, looking around when the trees broke to a familiar town. It was the last place she expected to see, especially after so long in the Entity’s realm. 

Her clothes were covered in blood, but it wasn’t like her parents had ever cared much. She had basically lived all over, keeping spare changes of clothes hidden around town in case she needed to look different and avoid the cops for just a bit longer. Her first priority was to head home and clean up. She snuck around the dimly lit streets, following the common paths she would use to sneak around. She climbed up the cracked walls of the building she knew well, up to the window she normally left cracked open to climb inside. 

The window was closed and locked, and inside the decorations of the room were not her normal stashes of spray paint and messy clothes. The room was immaculate, and definitely not hers anymore. _Didn’t even care to stick around._ She climbed down from the ledge, quietly heading to one of the several places she kept things stashed for future use. 

One such building was a storage warehouse for various shipments for trucks. The upper rafters were wide enough for her to walk on, and falling was never a fear for her. The neat bundle was still wrapped tightly, and Nea could see her tag up there. She managed to climb her way back up, taking out the extra flannel shirt and torn jeans. She still had the issue of being covered in blood, and looked around the warehouse. _Gotta be a place to get cleaned up somewhere._

She froze when she heard the sound of footsteps. It was early in the morning, the sun barely even out. It peeked from over the horizon, dim light shining through the windows. _Probably a morning patrol coming by._ Security guards were even easier to evade than the cops, they never even knew she was there to be alert. She kept herself alert, watching the giant door slowly creak open. 

Nea recognized those stupid sunglasses anywhere. _But what is he doing here?_ He took a cautious look around, and Nea couldn’t help a quiet scoff. 

“Didn’t you learn to look up when on the run, too?” 

She watched Ace jump, then turn his attention to her as she jumped down from the rafter. 

“Christ, Nea. What are you even doing here?”

She crossed her arms, tilting her head. 

“I could ask you the same thing.”

He shrugged, the same typical grin on his face. 

“Touche. But, don’t expect me to stick around long. Based on that, I’d say we aren’t gonna have to worry about dying to a supernatural murderer anytime soon.”

He pointed to the nearest window and the streaks of light pouring in to the warehouse. Nea couldn’t help but laugh. 

“You even have any plans for not looking like you walked out of a slaughterhouse?”

Ace looked down to his clothes, shrugging. 

“I suppose I’ll just figure that one out as I go.” 

“Alright then, genius. And what about all the others?” 

Ace looked around the warehouse, then back to Nea. 

“I’ll figure that out as I go. If they’re still there, I don’t think there’s much anyone can do about that. If they’re out like us, then who knows where they are? I’m not gonna worry myself much about it regardless.”

His expression grew only slightly more serious when he caught the slightest trace of disbelief on Nea’s face. 

“We have no clue where they even came from. All we’ve got are their names, and that isn’t much to go on. We only met because of sheer luck, and I intend to try and use that elsewhere.”

Nea couldn’t help but snort. 

“Funny, never thought I’d hear that from you. Luck’s kinda your thing, I thought you’d make the most of it any chance you got.” 

Ace simply shrugged. 

“I’ve got a lot of bets to catch up on making. The finer things in life aren’t gonna pay for themselves.”

“Yea, ‘specially not if you keep wasting it all.” 

She laughed at the mock look of hurt on Ace’s face. 

“I thought we were friends, Nea!” 

She kept laughing, both of them ending up with matching grins. 

“So, your plan is really just to go on another gambling spree?”

“Was yours any better?”

“..Touche.” 

Suddenly, Nea heard the sound of footsteps again. She grabbed Ace’s arm and headed to the wall she normally climbed up to get to the rafters. 

“Follow me, and quietly.” 

“Nea, I’m not-”

“Move it!” 

Nea guided Ace up to the rafters, quietly maneuvering around him as Ace held onto the supports tightly. Below them, two security guards walked in with flashlights at their sides. They nonchalantly walked by, entirely unaware of the presence of Ace and Nea. It took only a minute for the guards to complete their patrol and leave the warehouse. 

Nea heard Ace let out a breath of relief. 

“What, scared of heights?” 

Ace looked over to Nea, already shifting to climb down. 

“Let’s just say I’m not one for surprises.” 

Nea laughed again, gracefully jumping down from the rafters again. 

“It’s not so bad. Better that than explaining to some security guards why two, blood covered people are hiding in a warehouse, right?” 

“Truer words haven’t been spoken today.”   
Nea stretched her arms out, walking over to the gate to slide it open with the bag of clothes slung over her shoulder. 

“Well, know of any place to get a shower or something?” 

Ace shrugged. 

“You’d know better than I. You live around here, don’t you?”

“Did. Parents moved out, apparently.” 

He nodded, following Nea as she maneuvered around cameras. He snapped his fingers as a thought came to his head. 

“I’ll get myself a place around here, and you can come crash whenever you feel like it.” 

“What happened to Ace ‘I prefer to be alone’ Visconti?” 

“When did I say that? Besides, we happened to run into each other again, and I know you won't give me a hard time for my hobbies.” 

Nea rolled her eyes, leading him down a tight alley between towering, decrepit buildings. 

“Maybe not to a stranger, but I’ll still think you’re wasting all your shit.” 

Ace grinned, opening his mouth to respond until he watched Nea climb up a fire escape. 

“Got a place to go still?”

“Nope, just gonna borrow a place for an hour. You wanna fix the ‘blood covered clothes’ situation, or not?”

She held her hand out to Ace, who shrugged and grabbed it to help himself up. She quietly crept up the stairs when Ace pulled himself up, checking the windows to see which one she could wedge open. With a slow, practiced movement, Nea opened a window and listened carefully. She crawled through the window and stepped inside the dark apartment, all the lights off. 

Ace followed suit, having a harder time getting through the window than Nea did. She looked around and headed to the bathroom, turning back to look to Ace. 

“I’m gonna take a quick shower, first.” 

“And the clothes? I don’t have a spare set like you, you know.” 

She tilted her head, looking around the apartment. 

“Then keep an eye out, let me know if someone comes home. Then when I’m done showering, we can switch and I’ll clean up our clothes.” 

“Works for me.” 

Nea wordlessly walked to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She piled her bloody clothes neatly in the sink, stepping into the shower to quickly get herself cleaned up. She didn’t waste any time in cleaning the blood off her and getting out as fast as possible, changing into the extra set of clothes. She took the bloody clothes out of the sink and rinsed the sink out, then stepped out of the bathroom. 

“Alright, your turn.” 

Ace turned to Nea, his eyes previously on the front door. 

“Nothing yet, so I think we’re gonna be just fine.” 

She stepped aside to let Ace into the bathroom. 

“Hand me all your clothes, I’ll get the blood out of them.”

She rolled her eyes at the quiet chuckle. 

“Sure, you think you can get all of it out?” 

“I think I know what I’m doing.” 

He shrugged, handing her his bloody clothes and closing the door after. Nea walked over to the kitchen and filling the sink with vinegar. She let it sit as she moved to watch the front door, Ace looking around the small bathroom. The decorations were simple, pastel colors, and the soaps in the shower were distinctly meant for women. He took his time, giving Nea the opportunity to clean all the blood off their clothes. 

When he stepped out of the shower, Ace felt much better. With a light pink towel around his waist, he stepped out and looked around the apartment. Nea opened her mouth to speak, widening her eyes at the towel. 

“Of all the colors..” 

“I’m not a picky man, Nea. My clothes dry yet?” 

“No, not just yet. Give it a few minutes, I’m working on it.” 

She was wringing the sleeves of his shirt out, Ace leaning against the wall to keep an eye on the door. Nea looked over her shoulder when she smelled the distinct scent of mint. 

“Did you use the fucking soap in there?” 

“What? They won’t even notice.” 

“Good God, Ace..” 

She threw his clothes at him, shaking her head. 

“They're a little damp but they'll work. I don't wanna stay too much longer.” 

Ace caught his clothes, turning to head back to the bathroom and change into them. His hat has been cleaned up too, but he held that in his hands along with his sunglasses when he stepped back out of the bathroom. 

“So, what's the plan now? Go on our merry way and find things to do?” 

Nea shrugged, mid-cleaning away the traces of their presence. 

“Something like that.” 

Ace nodded with a grin, putting his hat and sunglasses on. 

“Then I'll be catching up on some bets. See you around sometime?” 

Nea finishes cleaning up, turning to walk to the window with all her things with her. 

“Sure, I'll stick around the warehouse when I need to hide out or rest.” 

Ace gave her a nod and a snap of his fingers, then turned to climb out the window and onto his next goal. Nea climbed out of the window after him, closing it quietly and heading off to explore the town and to familiarize herself with its nooks and crannies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay! Next up is Feng.


	7. Feng

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feng returns home.

Feng had long gotten used to waking up in places she didn't recognize. It was a bad habit of hers; one that seemed to persist into the Entity’s realm by it’s doing. It didn’t faze her; she was always one to come out victorious. She had slowly started to become more of a team player in trials, only because it was more beneficial for her own survival too if she helped where she could. It was a typical routine she had gotten used to and excelled at. The trials made her better at team games, and she had started enjoying being the objective oriented teammate, saving when she had to and running into the fog through a ledge or over a pallet and losing pursuers. 

When she woke up surrounded by bright lights, she couldn’t help but wince and groan in annoyance. 

“The fuck’s the matter with you all? I’m trying to get some sleep for once.” 

She slowly opened her eyes, looking around at the faces of strangers who looked just as confused as she did. These were _not_ the faces of the survivors she had come to like. 

“Who the hell are you? Where am I?” 

She darted her attention between each person hovering above her, concern and confusion on their faces. She looked around the room, finding pristine white walls with various medical equipment at the edges of the room. _Is this Lery’s?_ She jolted upright, to the distress of the others around her. 

“I’m fine, leave me alone!” 

She pushed the strangers away, getting to her feet. She was still in her team jersey, albeit covered in blood. She heard a chorus of voices outside of the door, each voice drowning out the others. The door opened and she spotted who she assumed was a doctor, not the twisted version the Entity called a doctor, shouldering his way inside past flashes of cameras and excited voices. 

“Feng Min, yes?” 

She narrowed her eyes on the doctor, crossing her arms. 

“Yeah, and where am I?”

“The hospital, you were found unconscious and bloody in a ditch and rushed here immediately. How are you feeling?” 

“I’m fine. Can I go?” 

The doctor seemed taken aback, his attention briefly darting to the door.

“I would recommend against it. You need time to rest and recover, and I would prefer being able to do so here.” 

Feng rolled her eyes. 

“I can tell you, I’m fine. All I need is a clean change of clothes and I’ll be fine.”

“Feng, I will ask you to reconsider-”

“And my answer is still no. I'm _fine._ ” 

The doctor nodded his head, turning to the door. 

“Then I'll allow members of your team to come in. They have some of your things for you.”

Feng simply waited quietly with her arms crossed. It wasn't surprising to her that she was being swarmed by the media already. The Shining Lion was a big deal, especially showing up covered in blood. The door opened and she watched some members of the Lazer Bears in their jerseys shoulder past eager photographers. She recognized the same coach, who almost always went by ‘Fareyo’. 

His expression was one of concern, seeing how blood covered Feng was. 

“You okay? You've been gone for two years. No one could get a hold of you.”

She let her hands fall to her sides as two other teammates managed to squeeze inside, who went by Tierlin and Didy. 

“Really, I'm fine.”

She grabbed her bag from Fareyo, opening it and pulling out her spare set of clothes. It was Didy’s turn to speak. 

“Come on, you’re gone for two years, you show up covered in blood and you’re just fine? What even happened?” 

Feng turned to give a glare. 

“You really wouldn’t believe me if I told you. The important thing is I’m fine, and with a little bit of practice I can get back to competing.” 

Tierlin, with a playful grin, rolled his shoulders. 

“Shining Lion can’t go ten minutes back without being in front of cameras and the crowd, huh?”

“Like you aren’t the same?” 

Tierlin laughed, turning to the door. 

“Dorms are in the same place as usual, if you remember the way there. No rush to make it back though, take your time.” 

Without another care, Tierlin opened the door and walked past the growing crowd. Fareyo and Didy lingered, but Didy was first to leave with a single wave. Fareyo watched him leave, then turned his attention to Feng. 

“Well, we’re glad to have you back. Take a couple days, even a week to just settle back in and we'll talk after about competing again.” 

Feng gave a confident smirk, patting Fareyo on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Fare. Glad to know you've got my back.”

Fareyo walked out without any further hesitation, letting Feng change into the extra set of clothes. She let her mind wander; it felt _strange_ to be back with her team yet still feel sad. _I guess I did like all those nerds at the campfire._ She pinched her arm hard, shaking her head slightly at the pain. She was sure now that she wasn’t dreaming, and that she was actually back home. She hesitated, staring at the neat pile of her bloody team uniform on the hospital bed. 

She took a deep breath, packing up the clothes in the bag her things were brought in. The blood didn’t concern her; she was well used to it by now and knew exactly how to get it out. She’d take a week to relax, and see what she could find on the others to sate her curiosity. _That’s all there is to it._

She slung the bag over her shoulder, turning to the door and walking out into the crowd of flashing lights and excited voices. Almost instantly, she was blinded by the cameras. 

“Okay, can we- stop shoving cameras in my face, I’m going blind!”

It didn’t take long for news about the Shining Lion’s return to make public news and for Feng’s messages explode in notifications, yet she never heard a single word from her parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about the huge delay on these chapters! School + Work are rough, plus I have been focusing a lot on my DbD OC's writings. I hope to have the next chapter up sooner!


	8. David

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David returns home.

David stayed nonchalant about the Entity and it’s games. He knew he did his part well, protecting the others of the team from the monstrous Killers in the trials. Getting hurt was something he was well familiar with, and even enjoyed now and then. It meant the start of a good fight, and he still enjoyed the rush of hurting someone else worse than they could hurt him. He considered all of the other survivors his friends, as they had his back just as much as he had theirs. David was not a guy that abandoned his friends. 

When he found himself in a dark alley, alone, he sat up quickly and looked around. The others were gone, as was the familiar campfire. He rubbed his eyes and stood up, realizing now that the brick walls were ones he knew. The alley behind the pub he frequented was far too common of a visit for him to forget. The clouds covered the moon, but David was still able to see the dull glimmer from behind them. 

He knew he was covered in blood, but he didn't particularly care. He knew the way home by heart, even if he was completely hammered after drinking far too much. He was probably considered long dead in a ditch by people he had once called friends, and saw no reason to even bother with them anymore. He quietly walked home, his attention darting around the dim streets. 

The large house, almost a mansion, still had the same ornate gates he remembered well, as well as the day he slammed someone’s head against it. The metal creaked open, freezing cold to the touch and still as he remembered it. If this was a trick of the Entity’s, it was well constructed. The garage door was kept locked by a keypad hidden under a hanging light, and David took a step back after entering in the code he remembered. 

It still hadn't been changed, resulting in the door opening slowly and showcasing the tidy space and pristinely cleaned vehicles. Even his own were kept clean. _This has to be some kinda trick._ The door in the garage wasn’t one that was kept locked; the keypad was typically more than enough. David felt an unsettling pit in his stomach; yet he couldn’t explain why. 

Everything looked the same, _didn’t it?_ The same hallways, same decorations, same paintings on the walls. Every expected indication of wealth was present. He cautiously walked up the stairs, wary for any indication of danger. Nothing seemed out of place yet, but that was the concerning part. It was exactly as he remembered. 

“David King, sir?” 

He spun around at the voice, fists clenched. The young man flinched back, and David did not recognize this man. 

“Who th’fuck are you?” 

The man opened his mouth to speak, but was stopped by David shaking his head. 

“Actually, better question. What day is it?”

Now the man was utterly confused. 

“I-It’s Saturday, sir? Saturday morning, technically.”

David looked around the hall, moving back up the stairs. 

“No weird bullshit goin’ on? No fucked up spider demons ruinin’ everything?” 

The man followed David up the stairs, only growing more and more confused. 

“..No? I don’t think so, at least.” 

David paused at the top of the stairs. _This was different._ He didn’t remember any of this, and knew it was something changed. He paced down the hall to what he remembered to be his room, swinging the door open and finding most things in boxes. 

“Th’fuck is this?!”

He turned to the young man following him, who looked past him into the room. 

“When you were missing, your things eventually got packed up. After several months, everyone thought..”

“That I died? Yea, I got that much, mate. But I’m not.” 

He took a deep breath. _Now was not a time to get pissed off, there were far more important things to worry about._ He found the nearest piece of paper and a pen, still in the drawer of the desk in his room, and scribbled a list. The man inched closer curiously, abruptly leaning back when David slammed the pen down and handed the list to him. 

“I need ya to find the people on that list. I don’t give a fuck about what you have to do to get that done for me. Got that in yer head there?”

The man nodded and nearly sprinted out of the room. David felt _somewhat_ sorry for scaring him, but at the same time, he hadn’t even made any threats. He ripped boxes open and got his things together, most of his clothes and essentials. He dug into the closet and pulled out several luggage bags, making sure to jam as much as he could into them. His phone was, surprisingly, still out on the nightstand. It was barely charged, but it was something. 

“Uh, David King, sir?” 

The young man was standing in the doorway, holding a laptop in his arms. 

“I haven’t found everyone yet, but the first name.. Dwight?”

He turned the laptop to show David the screen, and the article from some obscure American newspaper’s site that talked about the leader David knew, and the trouble he was having with his former job. _It was at least a good place to start._ He grabbed another piece of paper and wrote down a series of numbers. 

“Find anythin’ else, and you let me know.” 

The young man took the paper with David’s phone number on it, fumbling to not drop anything in his hands. 

“I don’t give a single shite what time it’s at, so long as it ain’t a waste of time, got it?” 

He nodded, turning to walk out and leave David to pack his things. David kept his phone plugged in, checking all the accounts that he knew were is. Of course, everything was still active and worked, a small mercy he was granted. He was still covered in blood, but it was a feeling he was well used to. He booked the next flight to America that he could, grabbing a set of clothes to quickly shower and not waste anymore time in finding the people that were extremely important to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ball is rolling now!


	9. Misfits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 'Misfits' have their debut!

Detective Tapp knew he was one of the more recent survivors to have joined the growing group, but was one of the veterans of dealing with a lunatic killer. He quickly grew close to Quentin and Laurie, at least being able to somewhat understand them. He still wanted to bring a crazed follower of Jigsaw to justice, but he would never do so if that meant leaving others to their death. He was a detective, and an officer of the law, sworn to protecting innocents, and he would do just that. 

When he woke up in a strange forest, without any sign of the campfire, he immediately looked around for the others. He spotted Quentin first, laying on his side and covered in blood. They were used to being coated in blood, both of their own and each others, but he still was deeply concerned as he knelt beside Quentin and shook him gently. 

“Hey, Quentin, wake up.” 

Quentin slowly opened his eyes, before quickly sitting upright when he realized he had been sleeping. 

“What’s going on?” 

The forest wasn’t like what they had grown used to, and the absence of the fire made them concerned. Laurie and Bill weren’t far, both asleep comfortably. Quentin ran over to Laurie and Tapp over to Bill, shaking them awake. Laurie looked around in confusion, Bill jolting upright and getting to his feet. 

“Where the fuckin’ hell are we?” 

Bill somehow still had his cigarette in his mouth, looking around the forest. Laurie was helped to her feet by Quentin, looking around herself. 

“A new kind of trial, maybe?” 

“We should stick together then. We don’t know what we’re up against yet.” 

Quentin looked to the others, still clearly exhausted from habitual insomnia to avoid the realm of the demon he wanted to kill. Tapp nodded, starting to walk in a direction. Bill, Quentin, and Laurie followed behind him, making sure to be spread out enough to not get caught in the same effect like the Doctor’s, but close enough to be able to help each other. 

When the treeline broke away into a clearing, the sight caught them off-guard. A sunrise over a city, overlooked by the cliff they found themselves on. They stood in shock, Bill being the first one to speak. 

“What kinda horseshit is this?”

Laurie looked over to the others, then to the forest. 

“Are we.. free?” 

Quentin stared quietly as Tapp slowly started to nod. 

“We have to be. But, I don’t recognize this city at all.” 

Laurie noticed when Bill silently turned to walk back into the woods. 

“Bill? Where are you going?”

She reached to grab his arm, which he abruptly pulled away. 

“Keep yer hands off me.”

“Bill, what-”

Tapp turned to walk closer to Bill, stopping when Bill turned an acidic glare to him. 

“None of you should be near me.” 

“What are you-”

“Don’t you fuckin’ get it? I’m from a place where the world’s gone to shit and everyone’s fightin’ for their lives against zombies. I’m immune because I carry the damn virus, and I don’t see anything gone to shit here. Wherever we are, it ain’t home, and I’m not gonna put you three at risk of turning into one of the undead fucks.” 

Tapp crossed his arms, standing between Bill and the other two behind him. 

“We have no clue if that’ll happen. It didn’t back in the Entity’s realm, not even slightly.”

“You wanna take that god damn chance?! You wanna go mind our own business and end up having to shoot one of them in the head?! Or makin’ one of them do it to you?! I’m not gonna take that god damn chance with _any of you!”_

The following silence hung heavy in the air, no one daring to speak just yet. Bill turned again to walk away, and this time Quentin spoke up. 

“We can’t just split up now. We have no idea what we’re going to do.”

Bill paused, turning to look towards Quentin. 

“I already know what I’m going to do, and that’s making sure none of you die because of me.” 

“‘We’ includes you, Bill! Isn’t there some way we can test to see if you still have it?”

“Without one of you turning into a zombie? No, and I’m not walkin’ into a full city and mass-spreading it to find out with a blood test.”

“Is there any way to prevent spreading it? Like, avoiding contact with other people.”

Bill crossed his arms. 

“It changes too damn much to know.”

Quentin turned to Tapp.

“We can get a face mask, right? Then we can just be careful going into town.” 

“We are all still kinda covered in blood.” 

Laurie interjected, watching as Quentin stared absently in the distance as he thought on a plan. He suddenly jolted his head around to the town. 

“We could make our way to the hospital and then grab some facemasks there, get a spare set of clothes and come back here. Tapp and I could go, and then you guys can stay here and keep an eye out.” 

Laurie glanced over to Bill, then back to Quentin. 

“That works for me. How long do you think it’ll take?” 

Quentin simply shrugged. 

“I have no idea, just that it’ll be as fast as possible.” 

Bill groaned, shaking his head and turning to sit against a tree. 

“Fine, but none of you should be anywhere near me, got it?” 

There was a collection of quick nods, then Quentin turned to head to the city with Tapp close behind when they were out of earshot. 

“So, how exactly do you plan on getting facemasks and spare clothes? I don't think I've had my wallet on me for awhile now.”

Quentin looked over his shoulder to Tapp. 

“I haven't either.” 

“So how-”

Tapp stopped at the realization of Quentin’s plan. 

“We are not stealing from a hospital!”

“I know how to do it, it'll be fine!”

“It’s still illegal, Quentin!” 

“What else can we do? Besides, it’s not like we’re stealing everything we can find! Just the things we need.” 

Tapp groaned. 

“Then we find another way to get it, like asking?” 

“We don’t have time to ask nicely, Tapp! I don’t know what Bill’s dealing with, but if I can help, I’m going to do what I can!” 

Tapp let out a deep breath. 

“Alright, fine. But I’m not covering for you if you get caught.” 

“Funny you should mention that-”

“I’M NOT PRETENDING TO ARREST YOU TO COVER YOU, QUENTIN.” 

“I don’t want that to happen, but it’s an option, okay?!” 

Tapp groaned again. _Why did I have to go with Quentin?_

“It’s not that bad, Tapp. Like I said, I’ve done this before. We can go in, make up something, get fresh clothes, and then come back to Laurie and Bill.” 

“Let’s also make sure to not get arrested or anything, the less time we waste the better. We’ve already established this isn’t Bill’s home, and I have a feeling we won’t recognize things, either.” 

Quentin nodded, taking lead again and walking to the bright street lights of the city’s roads. They kept to the sidewalk, walking as fast as they could without seeming like they had just murdered someone. The beacon of the hospital was one Quentin quickly picked up on, avoiding as many people as they could as they walked in the front doors. 

It was hard now to avoid the concerned gazes of everyone inside. All at once, they were surrounded by nurses and staff urging them to _sit down, take it easy, don’t push yourself._ Quentin quickly glanced over to Tapp, a plan forming in his head. 

“I-I’m okay, but my… friend here isn’t. He needs help, badly!” 

_I’m starting to regret my decision a lot more now._ He still played along, forcing himself into a coughing fit. One of the nurse’s got closer, inspecting Tapp carefully. When she looked over to Quentin, he spoke up without hesitation. 

“We were… out camping, and ran into some really aggressive wild animals.”

 _Good one._

The nurses were quick to action, guiding Tapp to his feet and out of the main room. A single nurse helped Quentin to a small room to check him out. 

“I’m okay, really. Besides the uh, blood all over me.” 

“Your name?” 

“Quentin Smith.” 

She nodded, typing information into the computer that sat on the desk in the room. She seemed confused as she looked at the screen. 

“You… have no medical records at all?”

“They’re uh… with an obscure hospital. Small town, sorta thing, in Springwood. Ohio. I take an ADD medication, if that helps. I think it was always called Zoneral.” 

“Springwood? There’s no town by that name in Ohio.” 

Now it was Quentin’s turn to be confused, shaking his head. 

“That doesn’t make any sense. I’ve lived my whole life near there.” 

“I’m telling you, there’s no town, big or small, by that name in Ohio. Did you hit your head in the woods?” 

Any suspicions now were well confirmed, this place, no matter how much it seemed like home, was _not home._ He shrugged. 

“I don’t think so?”

 _Roll with it, Quentin. Don’t seem like a crazy person just yet._ The nurse took to examining him for any signs of a concussion or blunt force trauma, humming when she found none. 

“Alright, I’m going to grab a gown you can put on while we clean your clothes up, okay?” 

Quentin just nodded, watching her leave. He shot up when he suddenly thought of something. When the nurse came back, he took the gown from her and took a deep breath. _Think of something to say!_

“Two of our friends are still out in the woods. One of them… thinks he might’ve been bitten by something, and he doesn’t wanna spread it if it’s contagious. He won’t go anywhere unless he knows he doesn’t have it. I know where they are, but they won’t come near the city.” 

The nurse blinked, looking around the small room. 

“All I can do is inform the paramedics. Where are they exactly?” 

“Just on the outskirts of the woods. I told them we were going to come back, but, I think it’s better if they come here.” 

There, better plan. All Tapp and Quentin had to do was wait. 

 

 

Laurie sat in near silence at the edge of the woods, waiting for Quentin and Tapp to come back. Bill made sure to keep sufficient distance between them, just in case. It was predominantly silence, both consumed by their thoughts, until they heard sirens. 

Bill was to his feet first, standing up to see the ambulance driving towards them. 

“The fuck are they doing?!”

Laurie walked over to see the advancing ambulance, glancing over to Bill.

“Do you think Quentin and Tapp called them to us?” 

“That wasn’t part of the goddamn plan!” 

It didn’t take much longer for the sirens to become nearly deafeningly loud, the clamour of movement just barely audible over it. Bill turned to leave, pulling his arm away when Laurie reached for him. 

“Bill-”

“We’ve been over this, Laurie! I’m not gonna be the reason you get hurt.” 

The paramedics ran up to the clearing, heading to Bill first. 

“Keep your goddamn hands away from me!” 

“Sir-”

“What did I just say?!” 

Bill kept himself at a distance from the paramedics, who kept their faces covered with medical masks. 

“Sir, we’re just going to perform a blood test first.” 

_At least he thought everything out, first._ Bill groaned. 

“Fine, goddamn it.” 

Laurie was checked on by the other paramedic, carefully inspected for injuries. The other paramedic walked out of the ambulance with a needle to draw blood. Bill didn't need to be told to expose his arm, watching the process carefully. 

“Don't let that touch anything else, you hear me?” 

“I promise you, sir, I am very precise and careful at my job.” 

Bill huffed, watching the paramedic head back into the ambulance. It was several minutes of awkward silence before he stepped back out again. 

“No rabies or any other bloodborne disease is in your system. Your friend said you were bitten by something?”

Bill shook his head. 

“That's horseshit. I'm a carrier for a goddamn epidemic!” 

“Sir, there's… nothing abnormal in your bloodstream.” 

Laurie looked over to Bill with a knowing look. Bill groaned again. 

“Just give me a goddamn mask and I'll get in the goddamn ambulance.” 

Laurie gave him a small smile, hopping into the back with Bill after he put the fresh mask on. Neither of them had any idea what to do next, but they'd worry about that after some rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is definitely taking me awhile to get along, but it's steadily going! With all intros out of the way, it will be on the path to reunion!


	10. Bits and Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David works to meet up with the other survivors while Dwight just tries to manage.

Dwight took a deep breath, laying on the hospital bed. It didn’t take the staff long to get him a gown he could wear while they cleaned up his normal clothes. He had plenty of time to think about what he was going to do next. The police officer that had stopped by assured him he wouldn’t have to worry about the legal consequences his job was going to face, and that he would be compensated sufficiently. That eased the worry of money when everything was sorted out, but there was still time between then and now that Dwight had to worry about. 

He knew he couldn’t stay at the hospital longer than he needed, and he was fine enough to leave. Maybe not mentally, but would anyone be after the Entity’s realm? When a nurse walked in with his clothes folded in a neat pile, he nodded to her in thanks. She didn’t stay a moment longer, more than likely to allow him to change in private. It felt good to be in clothes that were actually clean, not caked in dirt and blood. He sat on the bed again, trying to think about where he could go. 

The slip of paper Jack handed to him was on the bedside table. _I could always call him, right? No, I can’t just impose like that. I hardly know him._ He was interrupted from his thoughts by the sound of the door opening. 

“Mr. Fairfield, how are you feeling?” 

The doctor’s voice was gentle, obviously not trying to startle him. Dwight simply shrugged. 

“I’m alright. Just a lot to work out. Am I.. clear to go?” 

The doctor nodded after a moment of hesitation. 

“Yes, you’re perfectly healthy physically. If you feel ill at any point that isn’t your normal cold or flu, see us immediately.” 

Dwight nodded, trying to give as reassuring of a smile as he could. 

“I will. Thank you.” 

The doctor turned to walk out, leaving Dwight to leave whenever he was ready. He stared at the now closed door, taking a deep breath and getting up to head out. He knew he’d have to go at some point, but he still had no idea where he’d even go. _How much has even changed in two years?_ He figured he’d have to do some exploring, and that was at least something he could spend a lot of time on. 

It felt strange to wander around what Dwight always knew as home. Most of the buildings were the same ones, but others were vastly different. _This was going to be an experience._

 

The receptionist idled her time, checking over appointments and making sure that each was scheduled and properly notified when the phone rang. She looked at the area code, blinking at the number. _Where even is that from?_ She picked up the phone and barely even opened her mouth when the voice shouted from the other end. 

“I don’t need any appointment, ‘M askin’ if a ‘Dwight Fairfield’ is there.” 

She blinked in surprise, tilting her head. 

“And who am I speaking to?” 

“A friend of ‘is. He there or not?” 

“Sir, I can’t-” 

“Fuckin’ christ, I just need to know if he’s there, and I know you can tell me that kinda shit.” 

The receptionist sighed quietly. 

“Give me a moment to check, please.” 

“I got all day.” 

_Pretentious asshole._ She held the phone between her head and shoulder, typing in the name to sift through the records of patients. 

“...No, we don’t anymore, he-” 

“Anymore?” 

_Be patient, don’t get irritated._

“That’s correct. He was released earlier today.” 

“Where the hell did he go?” 

“Sir, I don’t know that information. You’d have to talk to him.” 

“God fucking-, fine, thanks anyway.” 

_Click._

David groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. The hotel room he was staying in was comfortable enough, but he would definitely rather be heading out to find Dwight. He really had no idea where to go, and even then only had a vague idea of the area where Dwight lived. He never really got specifics, but the news thankfully had given enough details for him to find out. 

Where _would_ Dwight even go? The question tugged at his mind constantly. David knew he was lucky enough to always have a consistent place to stay; considering how wealthy his family was already. That, and the money he had earned himself was more than substantial. He couldn’t stand being idle in the hotel room anymore, instead deciding to head out and just see what he could find. 

The town was small, at least compared to where he grew up. The buildings were nowhere near as clustered together, and he could very easily walk without having to shoulder his way past anybody. _Nice little place._ He kept his hands in his pockets, aimlessly wandering around the town’s streets. He knew he could easily walk around the entirety of the town’s main street and never get tired. _Surely someone would know of him, at least?_

_Never hurt to check._

 

Dwight was exhausted. He thankfully still had some money on him, but nowhere near enough to last him long if he wasn’t careful. The sun was setting now, and Dwight knew better than to stay out past a certain time. His hometown wasn’t particularly dangerous, but he’d rather not take any chances he didn’t have to. He tracked down the nearest phone he could use, glad that the town hadn’t gotten rid of the age old payphones yet. _Some things never change._

He pulled out the scrap of paper, putting quarters into the phone and dialing the number. _Please pick up._

“Hello?” 

_Thank god._

“Hi, uh, is this a bad time?” 

“Dwight? No, it’s not, how are you holding up?” 

“I-I’m doing well. Uhm…” 

_Damn it, not now!_

“I was hoping, if it’s alright of course, if… you knew of a place I could stay for the night? I don’t really have that set up yet.” 

Fear quickly surged, _this was stupid, I shouldn’t have asked, I should’ve just stayed in the hospital-_

“Sure! Where are you? I’ll come pick you up as soon as I can. I do live a bit out of town, so it’ll take me a bit.” 

“Uh, corner of Main and 3rd. The payphone outside of the hardware store.” 

“Is that- wait, I know where you are. Sit tight, alright?” 

“Yeah, and thanks.” 

“No problem at all! I’m not the kinda guy to leave someone hanging like this. Should take me about twenty minutes. See ya then.” 

The phone clicked, and Dwight put it back and headed outside of the box. Now it was just a matter of waiting. _That won’t be so bad. Just twenty more minutes._ Even still, the encroaching fog made him feel the familiar senses of fear and panic. _Everything’s fine, it’s just chilly tonight. The fog doesn’t mean anything anymore._

Despite that, he was incredibly anxious. It was all too familiar, to feel the cold, eerie chill before being sent to a game of death by cruel meathook, or rarely by the hands of the Killer themselves. The silence was _so eerie_ , but he preferred it over the sounds he typically heard of the Entity. He didn’t know how much time had passed by now; his watch was horribly off. His heart started to race in his chest as more time passed, and he swore he had the unmistakable feeling of someone watching him. _Michael?_

He darted his attention around, suddenly paranoid that he was actively being stalked by the masked Killer. He wouldn’t be able to clearly tell in the fog, especially with it being so dark. He pressed his back against the phone box, at least alleviating one direction he had to be wary about. He was still concerned about the other surroundings, heart leaping to his throat when he saw a silhouette in the fog. 

He immediately moved to another side of the phone box, hiding behind it. _No, no no no, it can’t be him, right?_ He had no idea what he was going to do. _I could actually die!_ Fear seized him again, eyes widened in panic. 

The honk of a car made him scream. When the window of the driver’s side rolled down, he was relieved to see Jack with Coach in the bed of the pickup truck. 

“Hey, sorry for taking a while. You okay?” 

Dwight nodded. 

“Yeah! Yeah, I’m okay. Just, thought I saw someone in the fog.” 

Jack looked into the fog, then back to Dwight. 

“I’m not sure if I see anybody. It might be a trick of the fog, like when you feel something crawling on your arm and there’s nothing actually there.” 

He shrugged, then gestured to the passenger door. 

“You can hop in shotgun, or in the back with Coach, if you want.” 

Dwight nodded, quickly jogging around the truck to get in the passenger seat. 

“Thanks again, really. I should’ve sorted out a place to stay earlier, but… I didn’t really think about it.” 

_Didn’t have the courage to face the issue, I mean._ He sighed in relief at the warmth of the car. 

“Hey man, it’s no problem, really. Like I said, I’m not gonna leave someone hanging. I did get to reading the news, too. Apparently, you’re a big deal around here now.” 

_Oh no._

“R-Really? Why me?” 

Jack looked over with a raised eyebrow, driving the route he knew almost by heart. 

“You went missing for two years, and then show up again covered in blood. I’ve seen reporters all over town trying to figure out what they can about what happened.” 

“It’s nothing, really. I just… got lost. Really lost. It’s, hard to explain.”

Dwight shifted awkwardly in the seat. Jack reached over to pat Dwight’s shoulder. 

“It’ll turn out fine, I think. I’m pretty sure the excitement will die down after a few weeks.” 

_A few weeks too long._ He nodded, leaning back in the seat. 

“I’m not exactly a guy that wants to be in the spotlight of anything. I just… wanna get back to my life.” 

“Can’t blame ya. I’m not a flashy guy either, I just like doing what I do without too much problem. Puts me at ease to work with the animals I raise. Not sure if I ever mentioned it, but I work on my sister’s ranch. She started getting more and more work, and I said I’d help her out wherever I can. It’s nice and quiet most of the time.” 

Dwight couldn’t help a small smile. 

“Yeah, sounds nice.” 

They fell into silence as the road veered off into a dirt road. The ranch was bigger than Dwight expected, and much more quiet. 

“Alright, here we are.” 

He quickly parked the truck and got out, Coach obediently hopping out and following close at Jack’s heels. Dwight followed behind them, still anxious about the fog. _Reminds me of Coldwind._

The door to the house swung open, and Dwight was instantly met with a chorus of barking dogs. 

“Down, boys!” 

A young woman, Jack’s sister, walked in from the kitchen in pajamas. 

“Come on, you mutts. Bed time.” 

She paid little attention to Dwight, instead dragging several of the dogs away by their collars. Jack turned to grin at Dwight. 

“She’s a little blunt, but nice. I promise. Come on, lemme show you a spare room you can use.” 

Dwight silently followed Jack, looking around at all the details of the house. It was a nice place, but was definitely far too large for just two people. 

“There we go. Bathroom is at the end of the hall.” 

Dwight turned his attention back to Jack when the door opened, noting how simple the room was. _Guess a spare room isn’t gonna be decorated too much._ He walked in and started undoing the tie he still had on, nodding to Jack. 

“Thanks, honestly. I know I keep saying it, but, I really appreciate it.” 

“Not a problem, Dwight. Lemme know if you need anything, my room’s the first door on the left there.” 

He pointed at the door that had countless scratches at the bottom. 

“Coach gets real antsy to get in my room sometimes, especially when he was a puppy. Pretty easy to tell which room is mine because of it.” 

Dwight nodded, his question pre-emptively answered. Jack turned to head to his room, Coach sitting beside it as if on cue. He suddenly stopped as Dwight turned to put the tie on the nearest nightstand. 

“I just realized, you don’t have any spare clothes, do you?” 

Dwight blinked, shaking his head. 

“No, actually. I’m… not sure what happened to most of my stuff.” 

“Here, let me get you some pajamas to wear. That should be more comfortable than that stuff you’re wearing now.” 

“It’s okay, really! I-I don’t wanna impose more than I am.” 

“Don’t worry about it! I think they’ll fit you fine.” 

Before Dwight could say anything more, Jack was gone and getting spare clothes from his room. Dwight sat on the bed and waited patiently, taking the time to reset his watch to the correct time. It was already 11:45, and he knew he’d have an interesting day ahead of him tomorrow. Jack came back quickly with oversized, flannel pajamas. 

“Here’s an old set I don’t wear anymore. It’s a little big, but it should still fit.” 

Dwight nodded, carefully taking the pajamas. 

“Thanks again.” 

Jack nodded, closing the door and leaving Dwight to his privacy. _It’s better than a formal shirt and stiff pants._ He quickly changed and got into the bed, putting his glasses on the nightstand and leaving his clothes in a pile beside it. _Wait, that’d be rude, wouldn’t it?_ He quickly got up to fold his shirt and pants, then place them neatly on top of the nightstand. 

He took a deep breath, covering his eyes with his arm as he lay on his back. _I have no idea what I’m even doing. I’ll just, worry about it tomorrow._ He closed his eyes, trying to settle to sleep. 

 

David swore as he got back to his hotel room. _How the fuck does no one know where this guy is?_ He nearly threw himself onto his bed, irritated at jet lag messing up his entire sleep schedule. Instead of sleeping, he sat against the pillows scouring through anything he could find on his phone. Nothing was particularly _helpful_ , and that only served to irritate him more. He groaned loudly in annoyance, looking over to the clock. _Only 4:30, really?_ He sighed, getting up and heading to the bathroom. _Might as well take a shower._

When he got out, it was just barely 5 am. He groaned again, rubbing his eyes and grabbing a towel to dry off his hair. He wasn’t even quite sure what he was going to do, but anything was better than staying in the hotel room. He quickly got dressed and headed out, hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket. The streets were entirely empty, only a few signs of life from places that were open all hours of a day. 

He was quickly starting to get used to the town, easily finding his way around. There wasn’t much that was particularly interesting, but he never failed to find something to do, even if it was something mundane. _There’s gotta be at least something, it’s all over the news, isn’t it?_ He sighed as he wandered into the nearest store, mindlessly looking around to distract himself. 

At 6, David opted to head back to the hotel and get something to eat. It was better than wandering around with absolutely nothing to do. _What even did Dwight do around here for fun?_ He shook his head, taking his time eating breakfast. He wasn't surprised that hardly anyone else was awake in the lobby, and those that were might as well have still been asleep. 

He headed to the fitness center to kill time and burn some stress. The hotel was surprisingly nice for a place so small. He couldn't help the small pit of worry in his stomach. _What if this is the wrong place? Or if he's already long gone? But where would he go?_

He groaned, wiping off sweat with the nearest towel. He headed back to his room to clean himself up, reading the time on the clock. _Only 7:15, but at least it’s more reasonable to be out._ He put on a change of clothes, heading out again. There were far more people out now, David noticed, including a multitude of vans that very nearly sped over him.

“Oi, watch where yer fuckin’ drivin’!” 

The side of the van stuck out to him, being the branding of one of the local news channels he idly scrolled through on TV. _Now where are they going?_ He turned to follow the road the vans had driven down, cursing to himself as the van turned a corner too fast for him to keep track of it. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing in frustration. His attention suddenly darted when he heard a yelp that was all too familiar. 

_Dwight!?_ He quickly sprinted in the direction of the yelp, now _positive_ that he was hearing Dwight when he yelled again. 

“Hey, stop!” 

Dwight sounded genuinely distressed, and every instinct of panic screamed at him to _run and find him._ He ran through the densely packed crowd of people he ran into, pushing people aside to get to the center. When he finally broke through the crowd, he saw Dwight being roughly pulled by another man. Panic quickly settled into rage. 

“Oi, back th’fuck off!” 

“D-David?” 

Dwight stared in disbelief. _David was here? I’m not hallucinating, am I?_ The protective grip David held his arm in told him otherwise. He had expected people to be curious, but he hadn’t expected to be _swarmed_ by news reporters. 

“You deaf or what? Fuckin’ move it!” 

David’s voice startled him out of his thoughts. He felt like he was in a daze as the crowd parted and David very quickly guided him out. They didn’t stop until they were a fair distance away, and when Dwight’s mind finally caught up to process everything. 

“David, how are you _here_?” 

David turned around to face Dwight. 

“Took a plane. You think I wouldn’t try to find you and the others when I realized we weren’t in hell anymore?” 

Dwight held his arms. 

“I… didn’t really think about it.” 

The gentle touch on his shoulder made him look up. 

“Come on, Dwight. I don’t leave people behind, you know that. Where the hell did ya go overnight? I tried finding you yesterday.” 

“Really?” 

_Was he who I saw in the fog last night? No, he would’ve said something long before. ...Right?_

“I-I stayed with someone I met.”

He quickly noticed the sharp inhale from David, as well as the way his muscles tensed. _Figures that he’d be uneasy by that. I don’t really know Jack well._

“I’ve got a hotel room that’s got plenty o’space. You can stay there with me, if ya want. Besides, you can help me find th’others, too.” 

Dwight blinked in surprise. 

“You’re searching for everyone else?” 

“‘Course I am! You lot mean more t’me than any fucker back home. ‘M not gonna let any fuckers harass you, either. Come on, lemme show you where it is.” 

Dwight nodded, following beside Dwight as David walked back to the hotel. He walked almost in a surreal daze, as if what was happening was a dream. Yet, he knew it wasn’t any dream or hallucination, no tricks or deceptions from eldritch beings. This was _real_ , and Dwight couldn’t be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long, but I'm glad to get it up! I wanna say too, the next survivor being released in June will be the last one I add to this story, the others will come out too late for me to want to fit them in. But hopefully, I will have the time/ability to write silly drabble type stuff in an escaped AU for all the survivors, new and old.


	11. Coming Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and his mom start bringing the survivors together.

It felt strange to Jake to be all alone now, having gotten used to the company of the others. He didn’t mind being in complete solitude now, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t miss the others. Even the more _irritating_ survivors had grown on him in a special way, and being alone in the middle of the woods in his cabin simply felt… lonely. At the campfire, there was always something to do, something to prepare for, but now he was back to surviving in an environment that seemed far too easy. 

He trusted his mother to try and find the others. He knew she would exhaust every resource she could to do that. He still wasn’t keen on keeping too many connections to the outside world, but he had already promised he would keep his phone on him more frequently. He spent time familiarizing himself with the woods he called home. The silence was odd, far too much so now to ever be fully used to it. He was already missing Dwight’s nervous chatter and planning, Ace’s teasing, Meg’s laughter, Claudette’s constant worry… all the survivors had become important to Jake. 

He nearly jumped when he felt his phone start ringing. He never kept the sound of it on, but the vibrations in his coat pocket were something he clearly felt. _Only one person ever calls me._ He picked up quickly, not having a single moment to talk before his mother’s voice sounded over the phone. 

“Jake! Good news, some of your friends are very easy to find.” 

_That sounds incredibly creepy, mom._

“Who have you found so far?” 

“On the list you gave me, that Feng Min girl is incredibly popular!”

“Yeah, I knew that.”

 _I wish she would shut up about it._

“There’s also David King! He doesn’t look like the type to be incredibly wealthy, but he is!” 

_I don’t look like the incredibly wealthy type either._

“Anyone else, or just them?” 

“Give me more credit than that, Jake. I also found Claudette Morel and Meg Thomas, but Claudette is a lot closer to us than I thought! In fact, I already scheduled a ride over, first to pick you up, and then we’ll head over to her house.”

“Mom, isn’t that, I dunno, a little creepy? She has no idea who you are.” 

“That’s why you’re coming along! She’ll most definitely recognize you.” 

I already know I’m not winning this conversation at all.

“Alright, I’ll be ready soon.” 

“Good! Because I’m five minutes away.” 

Are you kidding me? 

“Shit, really? I’ll see you soon, then.” 

He hung up and quickly got up to get ready. As simple as a coat, worn pants, and sweater was for an outfit, it was the best thing he had. The familiar hum of helicopter blades was his signal to head outside. It was still incredibly loud, even getting in and taking off. The flight was short and quiet, and Jake knew they’d be driving soon in a car that was way too fancy to be justifiable. He stared outside the helicopter door, suddenly very envious of all the birds that could fly whenever they wanted. _Must be nice._

He blinked when he started to notice the ground getting closer. When they landed, he jumped out and stretched, following his mother to the car. Jake only needed to see the look on her face for a second to know he was going to be barraged with questions. 

“So, what’s Claudette like? Is she a nice girl? What do you think of her?” 

_There it is._

“She’s nice. Cares a lot about other people, knows a lot about plants. Taught me a little botany, too.” 

“Did she? Have you thought about taking her out for a d-”

“Mom, _please._ She’s a friend, so no.” 

She seemed to settle for the answer, sitting back in the seat. 

“If that ever changes, I do know a few good places-”

 _“Mom.”_

“Alright, alright! You know I just want the best for you.” 

“I know that, mom. You don’t need to remind me.” 

She smiled with a nod, falling into silence as Jake stared out the window. The neighborhood seemed cozy and far more modest than anything he was used to while growing up. The car stopped in front of a house with a well-tended garden around it. _Fitting._

He took his time getting out, watching his mother confidently walk up to the door. He had to jog to catch up to her, just as she rang the doorbell. _Please answer the door, I don’t wanna have to explain everything all over again._ The door opened barely, and Jake already knew this was going to be interesting. 

“Hello?” 

The man at the door, who Jake assumed to be Claudette’s father, cautiously answered. His own mother was entirely unfazed. 

“Hi, is a Claudette Morel home?” 

_You could at least explain why._

“Who is asking?” 

“Jake Park. We’re friends.” 

_Best way to explain that simply._ He knew it was probably better to interject than let his mother explain. Jake watched Claudette’s father look inside the house, then back to the door. 

“Give me just a moment, okay?” 

The door gently closed, and Jake couldn’t help a sigh. He wasn’t quite sure what he expected, but he could only hoped it would work out for the best. His mother stepped back to let him stand in the doorway, just as the door quickly swung open. Claudette stood stunned, staring wide-eyed. 

“Jake, is that really you?” 

“Yeah, sorry for just showing up.” 

Claudette wrapped her arms around Jake to pull him into a hug. 

“I’m so happy to see you! How are you? What have you been doing? Where have you been?” 

Jake pat her shoulders, trying to reassure her. 

“I’m fine, I’ve been home living on my own.” 

Claudette smiled widely, releasing her hug. 

“That’s good! I still can’t believe you’re standing here! How did you even know where to find me?” 

Jake gestured to his mother. 

“She’s a very determined woman.” 

Claudette laughed, waving. 

“Mrs. Park, then, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

Jake stepped aside to let his mother shake Claudette’s hand. 

“Of course, sweetheart! Any friend of Jake’s is very important to me. And from what I hear, you are a very kind and caring girl.” 

Claudette smiled, clearly embarrassed at the sentiment. 

“I-It’s nothing, Mrs. Park. I just want people to be okay.” 

“Still, it’s a feat in itself to get Jake to listen about taking care of himself.” 

_“Mom!”_

Claudette couldn’t help but giggle, covering her mouth. 

“Would you two like to stay for lunch? We just started cooking.” 

Jake shook his head.

“That’s okay, I think we-”

“Don’t worry, Jake, I’ll take care of everything. You stay and enjoy yourself!” 

Before Jake could respond, his mother had guided him to the door before turning to head to the car. He turned and watched her drive off with a sigh. Claudette kept giggling. 

“Is she always like that?” 

“Sadly.” 

Claudette grabbed Jake’s hand and led him inside, cheerfully calling to her parents. 

“Mom, Dad, we have a guest!” 

Oh god. He knew they’d find out sooner or later he was staying for a bit, but he didn’t expect to be so… _announced._ He stood awkwardly in front of the door as it was closed behind him, already at a loss on what to say and do. _Social interaction is not one of my strengths._ It didn’t take long for both of Claudette’s parents to come into the living room, giving him an undeniable feeling of being judged. 

“You’re Jake Park?” 

He nodded, looking between them. They both seemed nice enough. _Think of something to say!_

“Yeah, I am.” 

_Genius, Jake._ He was keenly aware of their gaze on him as they looked him over. 

“Where’d you two meet?” 

Her father spoke, and Jake instantly found himself looking over to Claudette in a questioning gaze. He was eternally grateful she knew him well by now. 

“I already told them. Jake’s looked out for me plenty of times.” 

Jake nodded with a small grin to her parents. 

“Gotta stick together in a place like that.” 

Jake was surprised when Claudette’s mother pulled him into a tight hug. He blinked, his attention shifting over to Claudette in a silent question of what to do next. 

“I can’t thank you enough for looking after my little girl.” 

Jake pat her back after a few moments of hesitating. 

“It’s nothing, really. She’s looked out for me plenty, too.” 

When the hug was released, he tried to give a small smile. 

“Why don’t you two relax while we finish up lunch? I’m sure there’s quite a bit you’d like to catch up on.” 

Jake opened his mouth to speak before being guided to the living room’s couch. _What is with mothers and telling me where to go today?_ Claudette didn’t need any incentive to join him, sitting on the couch with her legs crossed. 

“Seriously, what have you been doing?” 

“Living on my own, really. It’s… quiet, without everyone around all the time.” 

Claudette smiled, her hands going over her heart. 

“You missed us that much?”

“Not, _extremely_ , but-”

“Jake, you know you can’t fool me.” 

Jake sighed. 

“Yeah, I missed everyone. My mom’s been working to find everyone for me. She’s, really determined. And won’t stop asking me if there are any ladies I like.” 

Claudette laughed more, covering her mouth. 

“So _that’s_ why she wanted you to stay for lunch.” 

“Probably.” 

She shook her head slightly to refocus herself. 

“So you said she’s finding the others, right? Who else has she found so far?” 

“David, Feng, and Meg. You actually live kinda close to me, at least compared to the others, so you were the first stop.” 

She nodded, her attention going to her lap. Jake crossed his arms as he leaned against the back of the couch. 

“You’re worried about the others still.” 

“Yeah, it’s just… I wonder where they went, what they’re doing, if they’re taking care of themselves.” 

_Always so altruistic and selfless._ He took a deep breath as he pat her shoulder. 

“I’ll keep you updated on the others, I promise. I can always get you their phone numbers, so you can check in on all of us.” 

Claudette nodded, getting up from the couch. 

“Let me go get my phone, that way I can add your number.” 

She quickly went upstairs after Jake gave a wave of acknowledgement, leaving him to look around the room. It was so much more modest than what he was raised in, unable to help the pang of jealousy. It all seemed so simple, but genuine and sincere. Claudette’s parents, he knew, genuinely cared about her, whatever she did. _Lucky._

He tore his gaze away from the surroundings when Claudette bounded down the steps, phone in her hand. 

“Here, I’ll enter mine and you can enter yours.” 

She nodded, handing her phone over to him. He had to recite the number in his head to fully remember it, swapping back when his number and contact information was all entered. Claudette took a deep breath, holding her phone to her chest. 

“I’m really happy to see you, honestly. I was worried that only I had… you know, and, I couldn’t stand the idea of anybody being left behind. I tried to go back, but, I just ended up running through the woods with nothing. I was really afraid I wouldn’t see anybody ever again. But, they’ve all gotta be out, right? If David, Meg, and Feng are, then… The others have gotta be out there somewhere.” 

Jake hesitated in responding. _What’s even right to say?_ He nodded with a smile. 

“I’m sure they are. Besides, they can all handle themselves pretty well. You taught everyone how to heal themself pretty well.” 

Claudette nodded, her gaze drifting down again. 

“You’re worried about something else now.” 

She nodded again, her hands moving to her lap. 

“Quentin, Laurie, Bill, and Tapp… They weren’t from places we knew. What do you think happened to them?” 

Jake blinked, the thought never occurring to him. 

“Honestly… I don’t know. Would they have gone back to their own place?”

“What if they didn’t? We have to at least try to find them. If we don’t find anything at all, then, we know where they went.” 

Jake hummed quietly. It was a terrible realization, that there were some he wouldn’t ever see again, but that was simply the reality of it. He was jarred from his thoughts when Claudette’s mother spoke from the kitchen.

“Almost done!”

He got up off the couch, letting Claudette walk ahead of him to the table. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you updated on everything.” 

“Honestly, I’d rather go with you.” 

Jake blinked, shrugging lightly. 

“Sure, but for now, let’s enjoy lunch. And, you might wanna let your parents know.” 

She turned to walk to the table, already thinking through how to bring it up and how she’d prepare herself for tracking down the others she cared about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for these chapters taking so long, I always want to make sure they're amazing and it's a bit hard to do that feeling terrible. Next chapter will be Kate's lovely introduction!


	12. Kate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate's Introduction.

Kate knew she was the newest survivor of the group in the Entity’s realm, and admittedly hadn’t known them for long, but she couldn’t help feeling so attached to them so quickly. They had gone out of their way in most cases to teach her how things worked, to help her as much as possible, and always kept each other going even when things seemed bleak. They were all so determined to keep going forward, and to stay hopeful, that Kate found it difficult not to be inspired. 

She was confused when she was in a very familiar corner of the woods, the same foreboding feeling surrounding her. She remembered the forlorn inspiration she got, as well as the appendages that were hard as steel that came and took her away. Then, she was in the Entity’s realm, facing those appendages on every hook and at every turn. 

She had spent what she could only assume to be days alone, the other survivors nowhere to be found. She still knew the Entity loomed over her, and she refused to let herself be dragged down. _The others haven’t given up, I won’t either._ She might not have had her guitar, but she didn’t need it to sing to her heart’s content. She sang proudly, never stopping her songs of hope and perseverance. 

Overwhelming joy filled her at realizing that she was back in a place she knew, without the looming fog or threat of being hunted and killed. She wasn’t at all sure how long she had been gone, but her things were no longer in the clearing. _Hopefully they’re back home._ She hadn’t been there long enough to be coated in blood, but had gotten her fair share splattered on her clothes. 

_Nothing nobody hasn’t seen before, though. Just a bit of blood._ She was fine anyways, at least she felt fine. Her main concern was getting home, and seeing the people that were so important to her. The other survivors were important too, but she could never leave the people that gave her so much in the dark. The woods broke away to a more familiar countryside, and she couldn’t help singing as she walked home. 

Her voice clearly echoed across the open ground, not taking long for many of her family and friends to hear it and rush out to her. There was an undeniable torrent of questions, too many at once for her to answer any single one. 

“Easy guys, I can’t answer all y’all questions at once! I’m fine though, don’t you worry none ‘bout me.” 

“Where the hell have ya been? And what’s all this blood from?” 

“To be honest with ya… I’m not sure. I wasn’t by myself, plenty of others helpin’ me out. I’d love to hug y’all, but I don’t wanna get your clothes all mussed up.”

Her mother was the first to speak up, turning to shoo the others away. 

“Alright, go on now, let Kate here get herself cleaned up. Then y’all will have plenty of time to talk. Go on!” 

Her voice remained lighthearted and fond despite shooing the others off, leading Kate back to her lifetime home. 

“You sure everything’s okay, darlin’?”

Kate smiled, nodding. 

“I’m just fine, really. The others really helped me out. I’ve got no clue where they are now, but I hope they’re doin’ alright, too.”

Her mother opened the door and let her go inside first, guiding her to the bathroom. 

“Go get cleaned up, and I’ll make ya somethin’ good to eat.”

Kate nodded and went to the bathroom, taking her bloody clothes off and leaving them in the sink. The water was intensely refreshing, and she couldn’t help herself singing. It had become a common habit when she started singing and performing, one that she didn’t mind at all. The shower was a perfect place to find odd inspiration as her mind wandered. 

The smell of food was starting to waft throughout the entire house, and Kate realized then just how hungry she was. She stepped out of the shower and dried herself off, putting the towel around her hair and grabbing another to wrap around herself as she walked to her room. She kept humming as she looked through her dresser for comfortable clothes to wear, getting changed quickly and hanging the towels up to dry. 

“Food’s nearly done, darlin’!”

“Alright, I’m comin’!”

She nearly ran down the hall to the kitchen as the scent of dinner wafted throughout the house. The chorus of voices wasn’t at all a surprise to her, as family got the table ready. Warmth blossomed in her chest as she joined in, not realizing just how much she had missed gatherings like this. Her mind constantly darted back to the other survivors she had grown to know and cherish, unsure of where they had gone or what they were doing now. 

“Kate, come sit down now!”

Kate blinked, shaking her head to tear herself from her thoughts. She moved to the empty seat, giving a warm smile. 

“Sorry, had my mind on somethin’ else.” 

“Everythin’ alright, Kate?”

She took a deep breath, leaning forward slightly. 

“Yeah, everythin’s fine, just worried about some friends I made when I was gone. I’m thinkin’ of traveling around performin’ and seein’ if I can find ‘em.”

Her mother nodded, placing large plates on the table with hearty portions of food to be taken as wanted. 

“Can’t say I’d be mad at you for carin’ like that. Do what you feel is right, darlin’.”

Kate nodded with a smile, more than happy to let the conversation become more uplifted as she spent sorely missed time with her family.


	13. Priorities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meg has to think about priorities.

Meg quickly fell into a routine, waking up early to go for a morning jog around the block before searching for any jobs she could find. She grew far more used to Lizzy’s company than she expected, even if stepping to the side for her mother’s care was not something she was used to yet. Her neighbors were not people she had ever had much time to talk to, between exercise and work, but she quickly found they had helped when they could to take care of her mother. 

It was _strange_ , talking to so many people who she had never really met, and who had assumed they would never meet her. Picking up odd jobs here and there from neighbors gave her some relief, taking dogs out for runs and being able to easily move heavier things around. _Lifting big guys like David off those hooks helped me after all._

She was grateful that energy was never something she lacked. Even still, every day felt far more exhausting than any trial ever did. _At least there I had friends to help me all the time._ The loneliness sank in when she had gone back to living at home with her mother, doing everything she could to help the little family she had and given so much for her. Morning runs were when she let her mind wander the most, half listening to music and whatever ads that came up. 

The routine was always the same, with variety being in the ads that played and the music she chose. They were always random, entirely unrelated to what she was actually interested in. _I swear these ads are just random things trying to get me to buy things I don’t need and can’t afford._ She had gotten good at tuning them out, focusing on the run ahead of her and the other myriad of priorities on her mind. 

It was the sudden phrase she was sure she heard before that caught her attention. _From where, though?_ She stopped to look down at her phone, seeing the ad for some kind of tournament event. _Didn’t Feng compete in these things?_ As if on cue, the ad continued, boasting loudly about the teams present. 

_“The Shining Lion makes her grand return to the Laser Bears, ready for a shot at the championship and the biggest event of the year!”_

She stood in disbelief, shaking her head at her dumb luck. _Guess Ace was finally right, huh?_ She couldn’t help but laugh. _If Feng was out, the others had to be out too, right?_ Sudden guilt panged at her heart, she wanted to meet up with them again, to be able to hang out and chat without the looming threat of death. There was so much she wanted to see of her friends’ lives, and she wanted them to meet the woman who gave her everything. 

She covered her mouth with her hand to hide the way her mouth dropped in awe. _Why are my cheeks wet? When did I even start crying?_ It felt completely ridiculous, to cry over such a small thing, but she couldn’t deny there was so much more than just the ad. No matter how much she wanted to, there was no going out to try and find the others. _Were they trying to find me? Or were they in a spot like me where they couldn’t?_

She shook her head again, taking a deep breath to recollect herself. _There has to be another way than leaving home._ She started jogging again, trying to keep herself focused on forming a plan of action. Feng talked about being a professional player, and she could’ve sworn Claudette had mentioned a website where she gave science advice and information. _Seems like a Claudette-thing to do, too._

She didn’t slow herself until she reached the door of her house, quietly walking back inside to take a shower. It still felt strange and surreal to really be home after so much time, and Meg couldn’t be more grateful for the fact that her life was still relatively okay; heading home to find her mother gone would have been _devastating._ She let out a sigh, finishing up her shower and putting on more casual clothes. 

Lizzy had already made breakfast, and Meg made sure to eat her own breakfast with her mother every single morning. Meg had quickly learned that the young nurse was still studying, juggling her current job and schoolwork, combined with managing her own life. _I’ll have to introduce the others to her, too._

She knew she couldn’t keep herself entirely focused on her jobs throughout the day, picking up odd things around the neighborhood. Any moment of downtime was spent looking up anything she could find. _David and Jake were pretty big figures, right?_ Yet nothing really helped to find where they were now. Jake had long since disappeared from any real updated news, and David was British, and anything she found was long outdated. 

The news articles she had found about Dwight were at least something, but she hated the fact that she had _no idea_ where that even was. _Why did they all have to be so far away?_ Even still, she knew she’d find some way to get into better contact with them. She was far too stubborn to give up on something so important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for being a tad late with a somewhat shorter chapter! I'm definitely sorta struggling with a lot in my life right now (as well as my interest shifting to other things) but I will try and remain as consistent and keep up with a sort of 'round robin' of all the characters until they're all together again!


	14. Alleycat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nea has some time to think.

Nea was well adapted to life entirely on her own, evading danger even better now after the Entity's trials. With an almost unnatural talent in spotting details out of place, Mashtyx made a mysterious and sudden revival with no traces of who was responsible. She was more than happy with it, managing perfectly fine on her own. She wasn’t entirely sure how the gambler managed it, but he did stick to his word and get an apartment in the area, giving her full permission to slip in and out as she wanted. 

It was at least a far more comfortable place to sleep compared to being perched several storeys above ground. Quickly adjusting to life wasn’t a problem, it was the accompanying feelings of loneliness that lingered. Any traces of her past friend group were long gone, likely having moved on or grown past the usual antics they had gotten into. Ace was not a man who stayed for too long, either, purposely staying aloof and easily distracted. 

_Not gonna get much conversation there._ She idled on the couch in the apartment, messing with the fabric of the cushions as she took a deep breath. Not being chased on a consistent basis left her with far more free time than she expected to have, especially as someone who didn’t have a job. And while she hated to admit it, she did miss the other survivors. _Curiosity killed the cat, right?_

She could only wonder what Ace was getting into, impulsive nature never fading. He had gone somewhere and she didn’t bother asking, fully expecting him to be gone for weeks at least doing whatever he felt like doing. She wondered what Meg was doing, the runner always glad to cause whatever havoc she could alongside Nea. Getting on the Entity’s nerves was the only pasttime she’d miss; she could do whatever she wanted and all progress would be gone the next time she returned to the area, allowing her to do it all again. 

She could only wonder what Claudette was doing, always so concerned even when it wasn’t deserved. There was no denying the unbelievable stress of being in the Entity’s realm, hunted time and time again, and Claudette’s empathetic nature never wavered in the wake of it. And Laurie never fully fit in, but the woman always tried her best to understand everything and survive. Her old friends were nothing like the survivors, and that was what made her miss the other survivors so much.

Her old friends were friends of circumstance; vandalizing what they wished and daring each other to try riskier and riskier stunts for a thrill. They were people to waste time with, not get close to like she had with the survivors. The spray paint can rattled as she shook it, working on rebranding her tag around town almost hoping Claudette’s voice would startle her, scolding her about property damages. There was no surprise when the tone of disapproval never sounded out behind her. 

Dealing with emotions was never a strong suit of hers, Nea knew. Parents were too eager to shut her down and refuse to talk about what bothered her, and it made her feel so entirely alone. And here she was again, entirely alone with no one to really talk to about what bothered her. The shift was not one she was prepared for, leaving her with the only solutions she had ever known: rebellion. It was more for herself, to find some comfort in what she had gotten good at. Sometimes it helped take her mind off the pit in her chest, other times it only made it worse. 

She couldn’t help eavesdrop on conversations, sticking to the shadows like an alleycat. Often, they were uninteresting conversations, context missing to her. Other times, on rare occasions, they were helpful. People talking about the Mashtyx tag showing up again would stir up curiosity. If most people were anything like her friends, the idea of a good mystery was too fun to pass up. Inevitably, people would start talking more about it, maybe make online groups for it and have fun with the idea. 

It was her best chance to tell the others where she was, all while keeping herself quiet and out of sight like always.


	15. Manage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Misfit crew works on managing through their situation.

It had been Quentin’s idea to sneak out of the hospital at night.  Tapp had initially disagreed, whereas Bill did agree that leaving without a trace was the best plan of action for them.  Hospitals were relatively expensive, and they had next to nothing now. It was better to pretend they had never been there, Quentin reasoned, than try to pay them back honestly.  Bill took the lead, only causing slight concern in the familiarity with which he treaded down the sterile hallways and knew just how the doors operated. 

The night air was cold, almost brutally so as they greeted the open air again.  Street lights flickered at random, interrupted by the headlights of cars every now and then.  Quentin stayed close to Laurie when she shivered, the both of them following close behind Bill as he lead the way.  

“So, what’s the plan now?”  

Tapp crossed his arms, earning an annoyed glare from the soldier.  

“If I knew I wouldn’t be standin’ here doin’ jack shit, now would I?”

“I’m just asking, Bill, we can’t stand out here all night.”

“Y’think I don’t know that?”

“Could we maybe talk about this somewhere warmer?”

Laurie rubbed her arms, leading Quentin to take off his oversized jacket and hand it to her.  

“Here, Laurie.”

“Quen, no, you’ll be cold too.”

“I have a long sleeve shirt under this, Laurie.”

She took the jacket with a reluctant nod, Bill looking around their surroundings.  Tapp sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. 

“I think we should at least try to talk to someone about this.”

“They’re gonna laugh in our faces and tell us we’re full of horseshit.”

“How do you know?  We haven’t even tried.”

“No, but I can’t see a conversation like that going well.  ‘We were just in a place where we had to outrun Killers and if we died, we came back.  Oh, and we’re all from completely different fucking places and I was in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.’  Doesn’t sound too fuckin’ sane.”

“So, what, our plan is to just keep stealing what we need and not even try to do things the right way?”

“Did I fuckin’ say that?”

“Guys, please.”

Laurie interrupted now, holding Quentin’s jacket close to keep herself warm.  Bill looked over and paused, then groaned. 

“I need a gun.”

“How do you think we’re going to manage that?”

“Hell if I know.  Best option I can think of right now that doesn’t involve something you’ll flip your shit over is setting up our own place out of town.”

“It’s not ‘flipping my shit’, it’s making sure we don’t end up arrested and  _ in jail. _ ”

“Could we at least start setting up a warmer place instead of here on the street?”

Quentin interrupted now, rubbing his arms over the long sleeve shirt.  Tapp took a deep breath, then sighed. 

“Alright, fine.  We’ll have to seriously work something else out, because this isn’t going to be our solution for long.”

Bill nodded, starting to lead the way to the woods and avoid as much contact with other people as he could.  People asking questions would be hard to talk to, and the last thing he wanted was to put the others at risk.  His mind was already working on solutions to their current problem, it was survival in a totally different aspect.  In the Entity’s realm, there was no concern about food or water or shelter, it was simply avoiding a very determined hunter.  And now, it was totally different, and Bill couldn’t shake the feeling of responsibility. 

He was a soldier, and one from Vietnam.  He knew survival in almost all aspects even before the apocalypse, but his skills were only further cemented in its wake.  He could design and set traps not unlike the ones he had to watch out for, having seen one too many idiots blindly walk forward.  Their first concern however, was a shelter to stay in. 

“Try to find a good spot to set up, nothing out in the open.  Find some firewood, too. We’re gonna need it.”

Quentin got to work on gathering dry wood to burn, leaving Laurie and Tapp to try and find a good spot to set up.  Bill was focused on getting larger branches to make a rudimentary lean-to. It wasn’t the best solution, but it was what they had.  

“Hey, what about here?”

Laurie called over to Bill, finding a clearing nestled around trees and brambles.  

“It’ll work.  Tapp, help me get these branches over it.”

Tapp nodded, Laurie getting out of the way.  

“I’m going to go help Quen find more firewood, then.”

Bill nodded once in response, setting up the makeshift shelter with Tapp’s help.  It at least would cover them from rain, and would shield them from colder winds. When Quentin and Laurie came back with bundles of wood in their arms, the moon was peeking through the leaves above them.  It was obvious they were all tired, and Bill knew it. 

“We’ll put ‘em here for tomorrow.  Right now, you two are going to rest.”

“Bill, it’s fine, I-”

“I don’t wanna hear it, kid.  You need sleep the most.”

Quentin grew quiet, being guided under the shelter’s roof by Laurie.  Bill sat outside, leaning against a tree and letting himself relax. Tapp sat down not far off, letting the silence hang in the air for a few minutes before speaking up.

“You wonder what the others are doing?”

Bill shrugged.  

“Sure, but what’s that gonna do?  No clue where the fuck any of ‘em are, and we’ve got more important concerns right now.  I don’t like not knowin’ how the others are, but there’s gonna be no time to worry about that if we’re dead.”

Tapp hummed in response, leaning back against the tree he sat by.  

“They’re probably a lot better off than we are.  We’ll figure out a way to find them. I won’t stop until we do.”

Bill shook his head.  

“Can’t ever learn to take a break, detective?  God, I’d love a cig right now…”

“Good time to break the habit?”

“I don’t wanna hear that horseshit.”

Tapp shook his head in amusement, getting up to walk over to the shelter where Laurie and Quentin had already fallen asleep, curled up close to each other.  

“Since I know you’re going to insist on keeping watch, wake me up when you want to trade.”

Bill grunted in response, eyes turning to the treeline.  It was familiar; the constant vigilance for danger, yet was unlike anything else.  The fact still remained that his team needed him, and he wouldn’t ever let them down.


	16. Long Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The survivors don't need to be close physically to start mending the distance.

When Dwight went to sleep, part of him thought that he would wake up by the familiar crackling of the campfire and have to prepare himself for the endless cycles of life and death all over again.  Instead, he woke up in the same hotel room, light shining in from the open blinds. It was hard to realize that it was all very  _ real,  _ that this moment wasn’t going to be ripped away from him in an instant.  He slowly got himself up, looking around to see David’s bed empty and the covers strewn over the bed.   _ He must already be up.   _

He quietly walked over to the kitchen, hearing the distant sound from the bathroom of running water.   _ Taking a shower already.   _ He yawned, taking a slow look around.  He could almost get comfortable with it, a lazy morning with hardly any concerns in the world.  Yet, he knew it wouldn’t last. He couldn’t, there was no way it could last for as long as he wanted.  That wasn’t how things worked, time would pass and he’d have to make sure he wouldn’t starve or die of any other method.   _ Death meant something again.   _

That fact instilled a newfound fear.  It wasn’t the first time he thought about it, hardly, but the realization again was terrifying.   _ No, calm down, Dwight.  You can handle this.  _ He took a deep breath, letting himself relax.   _ Everything is fine, I handled the Entity’s Realm just fine.  I can handle life again.  _ His stomach growling almost surprised him.  The Entity took away a lot of their basic needs, made it so they could focus on trials and surviving.  

He blinked at the empty fridge, before the realization hit him.   _ Hotel, not an apartment.   _ David walked out of the shower when he was making his way back to the bed, unintentionally settling his gaze on David’s bare chest.  

“Unless ye’ve got a better plan, I’m thinkin’ we get right back to findin’ the others.”

“Breakfast, maybe.”

“After that, I’m not fuckin’ daft.”

Dwight couldn’t help but grin.  He’d gotten used to David’s attitude, no longer as intimidated as he initially was.  

“Alright, we’ll do that and then work on finding the others.  Jake came from a big family, didn’t he?”

“Did ‘e?  Guess I’ll look while you shower.  And don’t take fer fuckin’ ever, yeah?  I’m fuckin starvin’.”

“You just got out, gimme a bit of a break!”  

David’s voice boomed as he walked to the closet where he kept his clothes.  

“Quit complainin’ and move, Fairfield!”

Dwight shook his head and quickly got into the shower, letting warm water cascade over him.  He made an effort to keep his shower short, not wanting to get lost in his own thoughts like last time.   _ I should at least tell Jack I’m okay, he deserves that much.   _ When he got out of the shower, he took a deep breath and dried himself off, wrapping the towel around his waist and moving to get his clothes.  

“Oi, Dwight, you were right.  Park’s a big rich family over ‘ere.  ‘M workin’ on findin’ a way to contact ‘im.”  

“Oh, really?  Where does he live?”  

“You’re askin’ the guy from another fuckin’ country about locations?”

“You’re the one who said you found him!”  

Dwight got a shirt out of the closet, putting it on as David talked.  

“Yeah, but that don’t mean I know where th’fuck it is, now do I?”

Dwight rolled his eyes.  

“Okay, so, how do you plan on getting into contact with him?”

David didn’t answer, instead putting the phone up to his ear.  Dwight narrowed his eyes in confusion, until David starting talking again.  

“Oi, this is David King.  ‘M lookin’ for a Jake Park, shoulda just gotten back from bein’ missin’ for fuck knows how long.  He knows who I am, me ‘nd Dwight are lookin’ for ‘im. Call me back, yeah?”

Dwight stood stunned as David hung up.  

“Who did you even call?”  

“His mum?  Not hard to find that sorta shit out, y’know.”

Dwight  _ very quickly  _ felt tired.  

“You can’t just… call and say something like that.”

“Says who?  And you don’t count.”

Dwight sighed. 

“Okay, well, let’s hope that works and get breakfast now?”

David got up and walked over to the door, pausing when his phone rang when he reached for the door handle.  He answered and put it on speaker for them both to hear. 

“David, you know how to make yourself known, that’s for sure.”

Dwight’s eyes widened at the sound of Jake’s voice.  David’s booming laugh overtook any sounds Dwight might’ve made.  

“You say that like you dunno who I am, mate!  Dwight ‘n I are gettin’ somethin’ to eat, but we’ve got plenty of time to talk.”  

“I’m glad you two are taking care of yourselves.”  

“Claudette too?  Who else is sittin’ there hiding?”

“It’s just us two.  My mom gave your number to me when you called.  She didn’t answer a number she didn’t recognize at all.  But, we’ve got some talking to do.”

**Author's Note:**

> The prologue to my Escaped AU! For this story I have a lovely beta reader who goes by rdkyl on Tumblr! I'm really excited to write this, and I hope you all enjoy too!


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